


Inquisition

by BlackRabbit



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 01:45:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9526376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackRabbit/pseuds/BlackRabbit
Summary: When the BAU gets a new team member and they're called the investigate a possible murder, things get a little weird...and tense.                         Sequal to Hero - http://archiveofourown.org/works/3599928/chapters/7941015





	1. One

Chapter One  
Bright Lights – Matchbox Twenty  
   
Reid had been asleep when Riley called him the first time after she returned to New York. She had let him know she was safe before hastily disconnecting. The calls had been regular for a few months but by the time six months had passed after their escape from Tucker Hill, all communications had stopped. Sometimes Reid lay awake on the couch and stared at his phone, hoping to hear from her but too afraid to call her himself. After an hour or so, he would give up and go to sleep, phone clutched in his hand.  
That had been three years ago. The agent still thought of her on occasion, but the urge to call wasn’t as strong any more. Morgan had insisted that Reid had waited too long. He insisted that Riley had undoubtedly moved on. Found a new life, a new love. Reid couldn’t blame her for cutting ties. As much as he had wanted to tell her he was ready to love her, his guilt always got in the way. How long would he feel he was betraying Maeve by loving another?

Three years and a lot of “what-ifs” later, he saw her.

New York City, Christmas Eve. The BAU had been called in by the NYPD to capture a killer that was posing as Santa in department stores and stalking his victims’ homes, to slaughter them while they slept, but not before tying each family member up in wrapping paper and bows. It was a strange case, no doubt about it, yet at this point the team felt they had seen it all, even if the killers were finding new and interesting ways to keep them on their toes.

Snow lined the streets in gray slush but fresh flakes were falling with a false hope of blanketing the earth in a purifying white. That couldn’t happen here. Too many people. The sidewalk was bustling with people, rosy faced and laughing, their warm breaths forming puffs of white in the cold winter night.

Reid stood outside a department store in plain clothes, watching for anything suspicious. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his thick black overcoat. When he saw Riley he froze.

She was as beautiful as ever with her black hair falling in soft cascades from under her white knit hat. Reid grinned, watching the snowflakes light upon her raven locks and he could almost remember what it felt like on his cheek. The warmth in his heart quickly faded when her eyes met his. Flashes of memory knocked the grin right off his face. Everything came rushing back in an instant. Her laugh, her blood, her kiss, her pain, the confession of her love and her rejection at his hand. Everything reflected in her dull and tired eyes. She turned away quickly before she passed, pretending she didn’t see him but he refused to let her go without a word. Gently, he brushed her elbow to get her attention. She flinched a little at his touch.

“Riley?” He tested. Slowly she turned to face him and he realized she was carrying a small child. He was about a year old with light brown hair and inquisitive dark eyes. His cheeks were pink with cold but he seemed more than happy in the chill, smiling at the Christmas lights in the department store windows. Seeing the boy made Reid bite his lip. He was exactly what Reid imagined his child would have looked like if he and Riley had ever settled down. 

“Reid.” She responded cautiously, her blue eyes watching the road as if she was afraid she was being watched. The baby regarded Reid carefully, his little pink mouth open, dark eyes hardly blinking. 

“Spencer.” He corrected gently, forcing a smile. How far had he fallen in these three years, reverting back to last name basis with her. It was a knife in his heart when he realized they were no better than strangers passing on the city street. “It’s been too long, what have you been up to?” He swallowed hard, fearing the moment the conversation would end and she would walk down the sidewalk and out of his life forever. 

Riley adjusted the baby, watching down the sidewalk again while she spoke. “I quit the FBI and got married.” She stated plainly. When she looked away from him he knew everything he needed to know. Her whole demeanor had changed. No longer was she confident and comfortable in her surroundings. She was paranoid and afraid. She couldn’t even meet his gaze. Gently, he reached out to touch her face but she shied away. “Don’t profile me Spencer.” She warned him, knowing it was too late. He had seen the fear, the way she refused to look at him. They were all tell tale signs of abuse that he simply couldn't ignore.

“He hurts you? Riley…why? You could have called me. I would have…”

“Saved me?” She interrupted him sarcastically. “Don’t act like you don’t know how this works Spencer. Leaving is so much harder than people make it out to be and you know I might not escape at all.” Her voice was hushed now. It was true. The statistics were staggering and the possibility that she would die in the process of leaving a dangerously abusive person was high. “If I was alone, maybe I could do it. Maybe I could walk away but I have him now.” Riley watched her son. “If something happens to me, he’ll be alone Spencer. Shipped to God knows where under protective custody, hiding his whole life from a monster.” Dark curls swung loosely as she shook her head.

“You can come with me now. Hotch and Rossi are inside and I know we could keep you safe. You and your son and everything will be okay again. You can come home.” Reid’s tone was desperate, yet Riley wouldn’t relent. 

“I have to go Spencer. It was good to see you again. Even just one more time.” The tears in her eyes told him she was telling the truth. This meeting would haunt him but he felt she might hold onto it. Perhaps he could hope that a seed had been planted. The seed had been planted in him as well. Now, for the first time in almost three years, he might have a reason to clutch his phone when he fell asleep.

“Wait, Riley.” Spencer called out to her. “You never did tell me his name.”He asked, motioning to the child, forcing a gentle smile. There was genuine interest, for sure, but for the most part, he didn't want to see her walk away.

Riley halted, then turned, her eyes puffy and red. For the first time since they started talking, she met his gaze. “His name is Reid.” Without another word she disappeared into the crowd.

With a jolt Reid sat upright on the sofa. Trembling fingers ran through his hair, damp with sweat. It took a moment for his breath to slow but his heart didn’t show any sign of relenting. He turned on the lamp beside the couch and scanned his apartment groggily. 

The coffee table stood littered with books and papers, pill bottles had spilled their contents onto the surface, scattering to a million places. His brow furrowed as he tried to collect his thoughts. Had he taken pills? The way his head was swimming, he was sure he took something but he couldn’t remember what it was, much less what it was for.  
When his eyes caught the newspaper clipping, he felt a new wave of panic rising. The headline read, “Body of former FBI agent found in dumpster”. It all came rushing back to him in an instant. Three days after their encounter, Riley’s body had been found in a dumpster. Her son was gone, her husband nowhere to be found. It was suspected that he had fled the country before the body was discovered.

A new wave of grief turned into anger as he dropped beside the couch and with one movement he cleared the table of its contents, dropping his head to the cool wood. Tears spattered its surface, bitter tears of anger and sorrow. Riley didn’t deserve what happened to her and all Reid could think about was how close he had been. He had touched her, spoken to her. He should have dragged her into that department store and locked away the world. He should have told her he loved her, that he was ready to love her. She would have stayed. His fist fell heavy on the table and the pain sent a shock through his body and he was back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

This time he rolled over quickly, snatching the phone from the coffee table with lightning speed. Two missed calls and a text, all from Riley.

Spencer, I tried to call you. Hope you’re alright. 

The phone rang twice before he heard her voice on the other line. “Spencer?” Riley asked groggily. “It’s three in the morning, are you ok?”

“Yeah I just…” He swallowed hard, his voice shaking as he let relief fight back fear. Riley was alright. It was all just a bad dream. “I had a nightmare. Are you alright?”

“It’s ok, just relax. Spencer, this is the fourth time this week, are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

The short answer was no. The dreams had been getting progressively worse, starting with her just being gone and becoming more and more elaborate as the nights went on. Having a new neighbor moving in upstairs wasn’t helping either. Whomever it was had hired moving men and they came and went all the time, moving furniture and setting up the entire apartment. The change in his quiet routine had been interrupted and it was taking a toll on his sleep. One of the movers had assured him that today was the last day they would be there so that was comforting. 

For days he had been calling her at odd hours, just to be sure she was alright. She knew about the nightmares but he never did tell her what they were about. In a way, he was afraid that if she knew the subject of his dreams, she would think he was being weird. 

“No, I’m okay now.” Reid rubbed his eyes with the heel of his free hand as he stood. “Just go back to sleep and I’ll talk to you tomorrow night.”

“Alright Spence.” She yawned. “Tomorrow.”

Silence on the line told him she had hung up. This was his stressor. For the past four months they had spoken on the phone at least once a day, usually at night before bed. In the past week however, the calls had been short and she was very distant. When he used to call her about a nightmare she would stay on the line until he was calmed down. Sometimes she would leave the phone connected until she was sure he had fallen asleep on the other end before hanging up. Not anymore. 

Morgan had warned him that she wouldn’t wait forever. The other agent had been pushing Reid to make a decision soon before Riley was gone forever. Reid was sure that this wasn’t helping his dreams much. Rossi on the other hand, told him not to worry about it, insisting that Riley was probably just very busy and things would return to normal soon. Spencer wasn’t sure which one was the truth, but he hoped it was the later.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he reached out to take Riley’s photo from the table. It was small, in a simple silver frame. From the darkness she smiled at him from her little silver home and he tucked the picture into his chest before falling into a deep, fitful sleep.


	2. Two

Chapter Two  
Hello Night – Zoe Keating

 

Wind rustled through black branches, making them claw at each other against the dark sky. The full moon lit the forest with pale eerie light but that didn’t stop the small troupe of boys from wandering further and further from the heart of the town. Soon the light of the houses was just a twinkle in the distance yet still they pressed on, their voices excited and low. 

All but one. One young boy had been dared, as young boys are, to climb a tall tree near the wall the surrounded the compound they lived in. He was silent as he led the boys through the woods, unaware that his actions would change not only his life, but the lives of every individual in the town. And yet, even without knowing, he knew something was going to happen.

Every muscle in his body was tense and pulsing with anticipation while his stomach rolled with nausea. Something was going to happen. At ten years old, he was about to see what most others in the complex had never seen. The outside world. As they neared the tree, they all grew silent, watching the limbs stretch toward the sky with a reverence that only the children in their town would understand. 

They stood in silence until an older boy nudged his friend forward to complete the dare. He wouldn’t have done it. Not only did he dislike heights, but his father was the leader of the town and had told him all kinds of terrible things that happened in the outside world. He had been told that if he ever glimpsed the outside before he was a man, that the Lord would strike him blind just from seeing the sin beyond. All of the children in town knew this risk but boys will be boys and a dare was a dare.

The bark of the tree was cold and harsh against the younger boy’s hand when he touched it. Excitement stirred the group once more while they helped him to the first branch. It was all up from there. Up and up he climbed, focusing only on where his hands and feet were going, not on his friends below or the scene blooming behind him as he passed the wall. 

At the top the gripped the tree with both hands, taking deep breaths to prepare himself. What if the stories were true and he would go blind for seeing the sin of the outside world? It was too late now. He had come too far to turn back now. One more deep breath and he turned his head to see the vast world beyond. In the full moon’s glow he could see distant mountains, wide open plains, a farm houses, and the sprawling lights of a town. The breeze ruffled his hair and his breath caught in his throat. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and in that instant, he didn’t fear losing his sight, for now, he had seen the world.


	3. Three

Chapter Three

Sea Song – Apocalyptica 

The morning came all too soon for Reid. Perhaps it was a gift that it had. The seemingly endless night, full of tossing a turning, was finally done. A new day’s light beamed into the apartment and made the day feel fresh and new. Troubles always seemed worse in the darkness. On the other hand, he was tired and knew he had to be at work this morning.

He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, reluctant to get up and get the day started. A part of him wanted to call Riley. Let her know he was going to work now and that he might be gone on a case for a while. After last night, he wasn’t sure she even cared anymore if he was home or not. She was up in New York City. That separation was sure to take its toll on her eventually. Distance wasn’t the only thing that was sure to have its price, as Reid was sure the price for rejecting her was sure to be high. How many times had Morgan stressed that no woman would wait forever? There had to be some truth to it, yet there was still hope that Riley would wait. Perhaps it was a naïve hope but the only way to fix the problem was to break down and be with her, even if he knew he wasn’t ready yet. 

In truth, he didn’t know how he felt about the situation anymore. The guilt of moving on after Maeve had stopped him at first and that guilt still remained, however, he had to admit to himself that he couldn’t imagine his life without Riley. The question now was, should he wait until he knows he’s ready, but face the possibility of her moving on, or should he go for it now and save himself that heartache, while risking the chance of coming to resent himself and pushing her away. Frankly, neither option sounded very appealing, so Reid was forced to put the thoughts aside as best he could and head into the office. 

The BAU itself was wrapped up in its usual busy clamor. People were flipping through paperwork, talking on phones, and typing away at their computers. No matter how many people were on the phones, they almost always seemed to be ringing anyway. All of this noise meshed into a collective mess that Reid had long learned to turn out. If you couldn’t tune it all out, you never got work done. Best to let it rest at the back of your mind like white noise. This morning it seemed a little more distracting.

Reid dropped his bag at his desk, realizing his whole team was already assembled in the round table room. Was he late? He peered at his watch but he was on time. Even Morgan was here earlier than him. In the room, the chatter seemed to stop as soon as he entered. JJ grinned but said nothing as she took her seat. Morgan tapped his pen on the table, ignoring the case file set in front of him. Reid cracked his open as Hotch began to speak. Was it just him or did he miss something again? Once again, everyone else in the room appeared to know something that he didn’t. Luckily, his curiosity would be quickly satiated.

“As some of you know, we have had a transfer into the BAU. It was supposed to be a trial run, but over the past week I’ve convinced the Section Chief that we’re shorthanded after Callahan’s resignation and we need someone to fill that spot.” Explained Hotch. 

Garcia was positively beaming as she stood next to Hotch, remote in hand. Reid’s brow creased with confusion, while the rest of the team smiled at him in one way or another. Why did it always seem like he had missed something? He quickly recounted his journey here, and tried to remember hearing anything in passing but there was nothing that stood out to him. After a moment he turned to see that they weren’t just grinning at him, but at the new agent.

Reid felt his jaw go a little slack when he saw her standing there. Garcia was still grinning like a Cheshire cat and even facing the new agent, Reid could almost feel the calm yet prideful tilt of Rossi’s head from behind him. There in the doorway was Riley Palmer. Suddenly everything made sense. Of course she didn’t have the time to talk to him as much with all of the paperwork and procedures. In a way he was extremely relieved. It meant that everything he had feared in regards to their situation was all in his head. However the relief was short lived. How could she have known he was upset for a whole week, with progressing nightmares, and never give him the reassurance that she was ok. That they were ok. 

“Agent Palmer, I believe you know everyone already so we can go ahead and start the briefing.” Hotch motioned to an empty chair at the round table.

Palmer took her seat beside Reid, greeting everyone as she sat. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked at Reid but the clenching of his jaw and his refusal to look at her made her feel like she was sinking into the earth instead of her chair. What had she done wrong? For the whole week she had worked hard to keep not only get the transfer, but to keep it a surprise from Reid. In truth, she had hoped for a better reception from him. Now she was severely regretting the decision, although she wasn’t completely sure why he was upset. There would be time for those questions later. Right now, there was a case to solve.

“Yesterday evening a fire department in Moffet County Colorado received a call about a large fire inside an enclosed compound. The caller was a 32 year old Michael West. His ranch is located about a quarter of a mile from the compound and he was concerned that the people in the compound were in trouble. He told dispatchers that he could see large plumes of black smoke and one of the larger buildings seemed to be on fire. But when the fire department arrived, they were refused at the gate. The fire chief called in for a chopper to douse the flames from above and when the pilot flew overhead he noticed something weird.” Garcia clicked the remote and images from an onboard camera popped up.

The first was a massive compound, several square miles in area with dense forests, sprawling farm lands, and a town near the gate. It seemed to be self-sustaining. The second picture was of the fire itself. At first it didn’t seem out of ordinary until a close up picture was shown. The team leaned in, taking in the black form in the flames. 

“Is that…a person?” Riley questioned Hotch, pointing at the screen with her pen.

“We think it might be. Local PD tried to go in and investigate once the fire was out but the inhabitants of the compound refused to open the gates. That’s why they called us. We have more authority than then do and can order a SWAT team in if we have to. If that is a person, and there is a murderer in there, they’ll need us to find the killer.” Hotch flipped open the file in his hands.

“You would think that they would want help if their town was on fire. February is still part of the dry season and one building catching fire carries a high risk of burning the whole town to the ground.” Reid stated, reading through one file and opening another, ignoring the one that Riley had tried to slide his way. It may have been a childish move but he wasn’t ready to forgive her yet. If only she knew the content of the dreams. She knew he was having nightmares and if would have just said something about why she had been so distant from him, it could have ended that all now. He would forgive her eventually, but not right now.

Rossi noticed the gesture and shared a confused glance with Palmer from across the table. The older agent didn’t miss much, even if he didn’t get the meaning of it. He would surely ask later if there was anything going on between them and Palmer would have to admit that she had no idea when Reid was acting this way. Palmer redirected her attention back to the case. They could talk about it on the plane, whether she was talking to Rossi, or Reid himself, she would get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible.

“Not allowing the cops in screams suspicious. They must be hiding something in there.” Morgan dropped the folder on the desk and leaned back in his chair. “Most people would want help if a fire was that out of control.”

“Wait, the neighbor called 911? What about the people in the compound? They didn’t call for help at all?” Riley asked. “If they are hiding something, then whatever it is, they would rather have everything they know consumed by fire before letting in outsiders to help them.”

“They couldn’t call out.” Reid replied. “It says here that they don’t even have any power in the compound. No power, no water. It seems like they didn’t have any modern conveniences at all.”

“That’s right. The compound was started in the early 1800’s, not long after the Louisiana Purchase. They started as a group of devout Roman Catholics that came here to purge the new world of heresy. They were half way through with the construction of the town in the 1820’s when they randomly cut ties with the surrounding area and built the wall that confines them today. There is no water, no power, no cell towers, or internet service.” Garcia grimaced. Without internet the ways to track the people inside the compound was extremely limited. “Each of you will be getting a satellite phone when you get there.”

“Might as well send us in blind.” JJ said, conveying mild irritation. “They’re big and bulky and won’t work inside buildings or underground.”

“I wish there was something I could do but with the limitations on cell service and the budget, that was the best I could do.” Garcia bit her lip. There was little she could do right now and although she knew that JJ’s comment wasn’t meant to blame her, she still felt awful about her inability to help her team. 

“Well, we don’t have time to work something better out now; we need to get to Colorado as soon as possible. The area inside the compound is huge and these people were born and raised there. They’ll know every nook and cranny to stash the bodies, if indeed this is a murder case, we’ll need everyone we can get. I hope you brought a go bag Palmer, wheels up in twenty.” Hotch dropped the file back on the table and strode back to his office to prepare for the flight.

Without a word Reid slung his satchel over his shoulder and hurried from the room, eyes downcast. Palmer didn’t move to follow him, she just watched him go. It wasn’t hard to feel the eyes on her so she wasn’t surprised when she turned back to her colleagues and found them watching her. With a forced grin she stood. “Well, that went well.”

“What’s up with him?” Morgan asked.

“I have no idea but I plan on finding out.” Palmer replied, grabbing her own back and heading for the door. Reid was nowhere to be found in the bullpen. Palmer touched the back of his chair gently as she gazed down at his desk. When no one was watching she slid open the top drawer to see the picture of them from the Christmas party. He still had it in there, where it had been for two months, but he was acting like it was an issue that she was here. The drawer closed with a muffled click. 

“It’s good to see you again Palmer.” 

A heavy hand fell on her shoulder. The voice was sincere but she knew all too well that a question would follow that statement. She smiled gently at Rossi. Such a sweet man. Palmer knew he would take her under his wing, as he had helped her a lot with her move and transfer.

“You too Rossi. I had hoped this would go better than it did.”

“Yeah, the kids been acting stranger than normal all week. I thought he’d be better once you got here but I guess not.” He watched the team gather their things and head for the elevator. “It’ll be ok. I’m sure he’ll get over it, whatever it is, and be back to normal soon.” He gave her a reassuring pat on the back and headed for the door, turning back to wait on her to collect her go bag. “So, are you ready for your first official BAU case?”

“Ready for the case, not ready for the flight.”

They shared a chuckle as the doors of the elevator slid closed


	4. Four

Chapter Four

 

Three and a half hours. That’s the time it would take to fly from Quantico to Moffat county. Palmer’s stomach was in knots just like the last time she set foot on the jet. It was no secret now that Palmer hated to fly. She had a terrible fear of the plane crashing, even with Reid spilling out statistics on the likelihood of a plane crash. 

She didn’t get any statistics this time. Reid was already on the jet, sitting at the table near the window, Hotch seated to his right. Rossi and JJ took the seats across from them while Morgan, and Riley took places elsewhere. 

When the plane started down the runway, Palmer leaned her head back on the seat and took a deep breath. She was facing Reid where she was, with Morgan sitting right across from her. He nudged her knee with his and she nodded. “I’m ok.” She said softly. There was nothing she wanted more than for Reid to be sitting beside her, keeping her nerves under control. 

Reid peered at Palmer over the top of his file folder. Morgan had his knee against Riley’s and was speaking to her in a soothing tone. Reid didn’t have to hear the words, he knew what Morgan was saying to her. The same thing he should have been telling her himself but here he sat, on the other side of the plane, sulking. It was too late to trade places now. Soon the jet would be in the air and they would be free to roam around the cabin and discuss the case. Until then, he had to watch Morgan reach out and squeeze her hand for support. 

Once they were in the air Morgan released her hand and gave it a little pat before standing up and joining the team near the table. He sat at the edge of the couch and grabbed a file from Hotch. It took Palmer a minute to compose herself but she made sure not to take too long in doing so. She leaned against the side bar, crossing her arms over her chest. As hard as it was, the time had come to focus on the case yet again. 

Palmer listened intently while they discussed the information again. But there was something bothering her. She chewed her lip as she thought. It was almost two hundred years since the compound had started with construction and they didn’t have any running water, cell service, or even electricity. Why would they choose to live like that? It was a lot like the Amish but they chose that way of life according to religion. But the Roman Catholics didn’t make much sense.

“Palmer, what’s on your mind?” Leave it to Rossi to realize the cogs in her head were spinning.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me why they live in that compound.” Riley shook her head.

“Compounds are a good way to keep traditions in and keep the outside world out.” Reid stated plainly, not even bothering to give a statistic. Morgan watched him, waiting for more, but when he said nothing he shrugged it off.

“Exactly. They live in complete isolation out there. So why? Most religious groups don’t completely shut themselves out from the world like that. Most of them want to share their beliefs with the world; to recruit more followers. Cults confine themselves. They wall up their residents because it’s easier to brainwash them. They confine them, raise their children in the belief of the cult, and don’t allow outsiders because to a degree they know that some of the things they are going are illegal and they don’t want people who are already brainwashed to become aware. Not to mention the brainwashing process requires that individuals be completely disconnected from the outside world and the walls of a compound serve as a way to keep people separated from true free will.” Palmer replied. 

“She’s got a point.” Morgan chimed in. “Why would Roman Catholics refuse to move on with modern advances and wall themselves in? There has to be more to it than we know.”

Reid’s brow furrowed in thought. “They started building their community in the early 1800’s, but walled themselves in in the mid 1820’s. Now there’s a fire and a possible body.” Reid turned the laptop toward him and after a few clicks, Garcia was on the line. He straightened the computer so the rest of the team could see her. 

“Office of awesome, Garcia speaking.”

“Garcia, I need you to go back as far as you can for calls made to the police concerning the compound.” 

“Ok give me just a minute…”her voice trailed, her fingers flying over the keys of her pc. “There was a call five years ago about a fire, but it was dismissed as a controlled burn, even though the fire department wasn’t granted access. Oh, this is weird. Fifteen years ago a call was made from the same ranch that called 911 this time. They called and reported a young boy had shown up in their property. Turns out, he was a run away from the compound in question and was returned to his parents. They claimed he was always getting into trouble but they seemed glad to have him back so there weren’t any further investigations. There are a few more fire incidents over the past fifty years but nothing that was thought to be suspicious.”

“Who made that call about the little boy?” Hotch asked. “We need to try to talk to him and see if he can remember anything odd about that incident.”

“His name was Danny West. He died last year of a heart attack. His son Michael was the one that made the 911 call last night and his brother Caleb is the sheriff that requested us.” Garcia stated.

“The sons might be able to remember something about the runaway. Thank you Garcia.” Hotch dismissed her and after a quirky goodbye, her image clicked from the screen.

“I think I might know what this is about and frankly, I hope I’m wrong.” Said Reid, licking his lips before starting with his assumptions. “If this compound is strictly Roman Catholic and they came here in the early 1800’s, then then might have come here to convert travelers and keep Catholics fresh in their faith. In this picture, it looks like a body being burned at the stake and if that is true, we might be looking at a modern day inquisition. The last inquisition ended in 1823, which would be the time that these people cut themselves off from society and walled in their own lands.”

“Wait, you think they’re burning people at the stake? For what? Are they killing criminals or something?” JJ asked.

“No, the inquisitions were meant to point out heretics and punish them for their heresy. Being burned at the stake was the last stage of the interrogation process.” Riley swallowed hard as the jet gave a little lurch. Her eyes locked with Reid’s but only for a moment.

“In 1252, Pope Innocent IV released a papal bull called Ad extirpanda. It authorized and outlined the circumstances and limitations on using torture to interrogate heretics. Four years later, inquisitors were given absolution if they happened to use torture devices in order to get names and other information from their victims. The tortures themselves were gruesome but one of the limitations was that no torture device could be used if it caused the victim to bleed. That’s why burning at the stake was usually the choice execution method by inquisitors.” Reid explained.

“If they’re starting another inquisition, that means they must have tortured this person before they were murdered. If they act in a group like this, what are the chances of them being sadists?” JJ questioned.

“I don’t think so. This is a group of people that have no doubt been born and raised in there. An inquisition might just be an accepted way of life. Chances are, it’s not just one person torturing and killing, if that’s even what’s going on.”

“Rossi’s right, do won’t know for sure if this was even a person until we get into that compound. Our information at this point is limited. We’ll just have to wait til we get there to find out more.” Hotch collected the files and let the team go about doing whatever they wanted. 

Palmer returned to her seat and closed her eyes. They were going through minor turbulence but to her it felt like the jet was going to plummet to the earth at any minute. Three more hours of this. Caught up as she was in trying to put herself in a happy place, she didn’t even realize that Rossi had taken a seat across from her. He nudged a drink into her hand and she took a swallow without even looking at it.

The drink burned like fire and she sputtered, clasping her hand to her mouth to keep the liquid in. He was smirking at her mischievously as he took a sip from his own glass. “You’re not supposed to chug it.”

“Thanks for the warning.” She replied dryly, swirling the amber liquid in the glass. The burn in her belly was a good burn, sure to melt away her fears while it relaxed her body. She had drank the same several times with Rossi, trying to take Reid’s rejection graciously. Rossi’s therapy had done wonders for her and even after she and Reid’s friendship stabilized, she found Rossi’s home to be a relaxing sanctuary. Well, most of the time. Sometimes it was booze fueled Guitar Hero nights that never seemed to end. Rossi was a surprising individual and Palmer had come to respect and appreciate him immensely. 

“So. What’s eating the kid?” Rossi, clasped his hands around his glass and tilted his head to the side. Palmer knew he was genuinely curious, as she was sure most everyone on the plane had noticed Reid’s strange behavior and were all probably curious as well. However, she was far closer to Rossi than any of the others, even if she had respect for them. “Did something happen between you two?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Palmer shrugged. “He woke up me up early this morning. Said he had a nightmare but he wouldn’t tell me what it was about. For the past week he’s been having nightmares and just acting really weird.”

“He didn’t say anything about the subject of the dreams?” Rossi prodded.

“No, nothing. But he sounded terrified. I hate to say I was so tired I didn’t stay on the phone with him like I normally would but he didn’t seem to want me to. He was quick to get off the phone and it made me wonder why he even called in the first place.”

“I’m not sure, but I’ll tell you this. Reid cares about you. But he tends to throw a wall up when he needs the most help. Don’t give up on him just yet. He’ll come around, and when he does, whatever the problem may be, he’s going to need help.” Rossi finished his drink and set the glass in a cup holder. 

Palmer just nodded in agreement and downed the rest of her own glass. She had three hours to sleep it off. Mind reeling, she leaned to the side, resting her head on a throw pillow against the wall. A blanket dropped across her knees before she drifted off, leaving behind the sound of jet engines, flipping pages of books, and hushed conversation.


	5. Five

Chapter Five

 

Reid shivered as he stepped out of the SUV in front of the local police department. Palmer caught his eye as she emerged from the other vehicle, her hands shoved under her arms for warmth. She didn’t bring a scarf. Reid put his head down a little; the purple fabric of his own scarf was soft on his cheek. Two weeks ago he would have gladly handed it over to her but he was still upset with her, no matter how childish it seemed. If he gave her his scarf now, she might think he was done being angry. Even though he felt justified, there was still a pang of guilt at his own behavior. Instead of dwelling on it, he forged ahead of the group and into the station, Hotch right on his heels. Once they were inside the building he slacked off to let Hotch pass him.

“You must be from the BAU. The Sheriff is in the conference room. Down the hall to the left.” The woman at the front desk said, leaning over the desk and pointing down the hall. Hotch nodded a quiet thank you and led his team toward the conference room. 

Palmer was happy to be out of the cold, but even the warmth of the police department didn’t shake the cold from her bones. Reid had done his best to separate himself from her. Sitting away from her on the jet, opting to take a different vehicle, now he was charging ahead like a bull. Rossi patted her shoulder reassuringly before they entered the conference room. 

The sheriff was a nice looking guy, over six feet tall with tan skin and dark wavy hair. He had an easy smile, which was odd for a man in his position. Normally when they came in, the sheriff was stressed and focused. This man seemed to be beaming.

“Hello. I’m Sheriff West, welcome to Colorado. I know I’m awful happy for a guy that might need help with a murder but my wife just called to tell me we’re expecting our first baby. Guess I can’t help myself.”

Congratulations were exchanged quickly before they got to work. Hotch introduced his team one at a time as they took their places. Reid stood by the white board with a marker in hand and told the sheriff about their suspicions of it being a sort of inquisition whilst he jotted key notes on the unmarred surface.

“Without confirmed victims or family to talk to, there’s not much we can do right now. We need to get in there and see if we can find any evidence of foul play. But first, I need to know if you remember anything about a young boy that was found on your family’s ranch when you were a teenager.” Hotch explained to the sheriff.

The sheriff took a deep breath and braced his hands on the table. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts. “I could see the walls of that compound since I can remember. I never saw anyone go in or out of that place and after a while I wondered if anyone was even in there. The only indications we had that those people were still alive was smoke from fires, gunshots in hunting season, and the occasional cutting down of trees. Other than that, we never heard or saw anything. Until one night when I was about seventeen years old, I was looking out my bedroom window and saw something moving across the pasture from the direction of the compound. I told my father what I saw and he went out there with a flashlight. Saw this kid, maybe twelve years old wearing strange clothes. Looked scared out of his mind that we found him. Mostly I remember how he spoke. It wasn’t like we speak you know. He didn’t use contractions or slang at all. He didn’t get half of stuff we said to him. Just looked at us funny when we said ‘didn’t’ or ‘won’t’. I’m sure he understood us, but… I don’t know he just looked blank sometimes. My father had no other choice but to call the police and return the boy but…sometimes I wonder if that was the right thing to do. That kid seemed terrified at the prospect of returning home and as far as I was concerned, anyone who would run away like that, probably had a damn good reason for leaving.” 

“What happened after that?” Palmer asked.

“I don’t know. They took him home, said his parents met them at the gate and that they seemed happy to have him back. That’s why they never looked into it further. Figured it was just some kid wanting to see what the outside world was like.” The sheriff shrugged.

“We’ll need a warrant to get in. I trust that’s already been taken care of? Also, we need to know everything you know about the compound.” Hotch stated.

“The judge is an old friend of mine. I showed him the picture from the helicopter and he gave me warrants. Told me he’d give me all the time I need to get in there and get to the bottom of this. He’s willing to cooperate with anything we might need when we get in.” The Sheriff stated. “This here is a map of the compound.” He pointed to the other white board where a large aerial map was taped up. “They have a small town here on the south edge. It’s right inside the only gate. There are plenty of smaller houses, a sort of general store, a large chapel, a textile mill, a forge and some larger homes near the north part of the town. The north and west areas are woodlands. There are a few thousand acres and we’re sure the trees were planted there since a good bit of them aren’t native to this area. When they built this place, they considered everything. There must be some sort of game in there too. Probably deer, rabbits, squirrels, stuff like that. The east section is all farm land. There’s a barn toward the north east section of the compound. Lots of pastures and fields out that way. This place is completely self-sustaining.”

“How do they get their water? If they don’t have water out there then where do they get it?” JJ asked, reviewing the map closely.

“Not sure. We suspect they have a live spring in the woods feeding a small lake or they may have dug a well. Whatever it is, we can’t see it from the air.”

“There isn’t anything else we can do here. We need to go to the compound.” Hotch said.

“I’ll lead you out there. I want to know what happened to that boy and why he left. I need to see this through til the end.” The sheriff grabbed his coat off the back of a chair and slipped into it.

It took some time to get to the compound and in that time it started snowing. The flakes fell in large light flakes that melted when they touched the windshield of the SUV. There was already snow on the ground for this new snow to stick to and it didn’t look like it would be stopping anytime soon. 

The convoy came to a halt outside of the massive compound. The walls seemed to stretch on forever and the gate itself was a colossal thing. It was open just wide enough for a person to squeeze through, and there was a man standing in the opening. He wore a heavy wool coat and plain brown pants in the style of the early ninteenth century. This place was truly untouched by time. The man was middle aged and paunchy, with hard dark eyes and combed back black hair. The way he looked at the SUV’s was filled with disapproval. 

Palmer slid from the seat, her boots crunching in the fresh snow. Quickly, she pulled her gloves onto her hands and trotted over to Hotch and Morgan. It made her more comfortable to be near them. They were strong, dominant forces in a place that Palmer was sure she wouldn’t be taken seriously in. Reid was nearby as well, walking to her left behind Hotch as they approached the gate. Reid passed her a quick glance, noticing her nose and cheeks were already turning a bright pink in the cold. Her breath escaped her parted lips in pale wisps, just like in his dream. 

“Agent Hotchner, FBI. We have a few questions about the fire that took place last night.”

“We have no need for federal government here. The fire was an accident; I told the fire chief last night that it was just a bonfire that got out of control.” The man stated firmly, ignoring Hotch’s badge and spreading his feet apart in a stable stance. JJ’s eyes narrowed slightly. The man was being overly defensive but why was unclear. He could be protecting his way of life, unwilling to allow outsiders in to keep the traditions pure, or he could be hiding something. 

“The helicopter pilot that flew over last night took a photograph that looks like a person in that fire. We just need to come in and make sure there was no foul play.” Hotch responded calmly, never breaking eye contact with the man. “We have warrants so you can let us in to investigate, or we can come back with a SWAT team. If that happens, I can’t make any promises as to how many people will be coming in and out of this compound.” He stated firmly, letting the man know that this was not an empty threat. 

“You leave me with no choice Mr. Hotchner.” The man grumbled.

“Agent.” Hotch corrected sternly but it was apparent he would not be called agent by this man, or anyone else in this facility. “And who are you?”

“Gabriel Bishop.” He stated plainly. “I’ll let your men in, but those witches you have with you will not be coming into my compound.” Gabriel stood taller, now defiantly, against Hotch.

“Excuse me?” Palmer retorted, taking a step toward the older man. Hotch put his arm out to stop her. Her eyes met his for a moment and she knew the look all too well. Hotch would handle this. Palmer glanced back over her shoulder to see JJ looking equally miffed at Gabriel’s comment. Reid had just looked away when she gazed at him, his posture changed from casual to alert as she had almost confronted the supposed leader of this compound.

“See there? The witch cannot even keep silent when her superior is speaking.” Gabriel stated, pointing at Palmer as she stepped behind Hotch.

“This is Agent Palmer. She’s not a witch, she’s one of my team members and she will be coming in with me. As well as Agent Jareau. They are valuable members of my team and without them, I’ll be forced to bring in a SWAT team for no other reason but to make up for lacking manpower.” Hotch responded.

After a moment of careful consideration and some demeaning glances, Gabriel agreed to let the women into the compound. One by one they all filed in through the gap in the gate. On the other side it was like being in a different time. There were small stone houses and people were watching them through the crude windows. 

A few people stopped their daily routines to watch the agents pass by. The men wore black and white, simple clothing with thick wool coats and mittens. Women in capes and aprons held their babies while small children hid behind their mothers, peeking out at the strangers. The children were quickly ushered inside and away from the windows. Surely their parents thought that the outsiders were a threat to their way of life and keeping the children from seeing them was the best way to protect them.

Palmer’s teeth were chattering by the time they reached the burned building. Smoke was still drifting from the charred wood and a couple of men were bringing wooden buckets to extinguish any small fires that flared up in the ashes. 

“Bishop.” One of the men called as he approached. “Why have these outsiders come?”

“Thomas, this is Mr. Hotchner. He claims they are here to investigate the remains of the fire and clear us of any foul play.” Gabriel eyed the agents suspiciously.

“Agent Hotchner.” Hotch corrected again. “This is the local sheriff, Caleb West, and my team SSA’s Rossi, Morgan, Palmer, Jareau, and Doctor Reid. We just need to take a look around at the burn site.” His dark eyes scanned the remains of the building. “We’ll do this as quickly as possible but we have to ask that everyone stay clear of the area while we investigate.”

Thomas, Gabriel, and the third man looked very suspicious of the team, but they nodded their reluctant agreement and walked away. Rossi watched them leave, noting them whispering amongst themselves and glaring back at the agents. 

“Reid, Rossi, I want you two to check around the fire site. Look for anything out of place. Maybe a large wooden post, or a point of origin for the blaze. JJ, Palmer, and Morgan, I need you three to go to the cemetery. See if there are any new graves dug out there. Sheriff West, and I will talk to people in the town; find out what they know about how the fire was started.” Hotch gave them their orders.

“If someone was murdered here and they had to hide the body, why would they put it in the graveyard? Wouldn’t that be too suspicious?” Palmer questioned Hotch.

“Not necessarily. If this is an inquisition and they have been getting away with it for decades, there’s no reason for them to think it would be suspicious.” Hotch answered.

“Like being lured into a false sense of security.” Morgan pointed out. “If they have been burning people at the stake and have never been caught, they won’t think there’s any reason to hide the bodies.”

“Alright, let’s get going. We only have five hours before the sun sets and we need to find evidence of a crime or we’ll have to leave.” Hotch dismissed them all, striding back toward the town with Sheriff West. JJ and Morgan started in the direction of the cemetery but Palmer just stood there, staring at the dwindling smoke. Her nose was numb, her cheeks flushed with cold. Snow still dwindled from above in slow motion, taking its sweet time to fall and cover the earth.

Without warning, something dropped around Palmer’s shoulders. In an instant she realized it was a purple scarf. She turned quickly to see Reid half jogging, hands shoved in his pockets, to catch up with Rossi. Palmer watched him for a moment before turning around and following Morgan and JJ. Gloved hands pulled the scarf closer, wrapping it around her neck, relishing its warmth against her skin. It felt good. It smelled even better. Her cheeks flushed again, this time it wasn’t from the cold. Some of the warmth came back to her bones. Reid wasn’t ready to talk about what was bothering him yet, but he was still watching over her. 

Morgan noticed the scarf when Palmer approached but he said nothing. The cemetery was pretty big, which was expected since these people had been here for so long. It would take a long time to locate any new graves, so the three of them split up and searched different sections. 

After an hour of searching in the bitter cold, JJ called for Morgan and Palmer to come to her section. Palmer pulled the scarf close to her face as she jogged over to JJ. Morgan was further out so it took him a moment longer to join them.

“This area over here is the newest section of the cemetery and look.” JJ pointed at a tiny headstone, maybe a foot tall and nine inches wide. It was set about a foot and a half from other headstones on either side. The little monuments lay in neat rows, column after column. “These date back to about a hundred years ago.”

Palmer knelt to examine the gravesite. “They must have started cremating people to save space. Walled up inside a compound, never allowing anyone out, even after death, they must have realized that they didn’t have the space to keep burying people in coffins.” She stood, scanning over the masses of tiny stones. A confused look crossed her face as she inspected the cemetery, then the town.

“What’s up Palmer? You got something?” Morgan asked with a tilt of his head.

“Something doesn’t add up here. Look at all of these graves, just from the past two hundred years. This cemetery is massive. But the town itself is pretty small. There are what, thirty, maybe forty houses, no bigger than three bedrooms a piece and about five larger homes. Where are all the people?” Palmer contemplated.

“I don’t follow.” JJ admitted.

“Catholics are against contraceptives in any way shape or form and these people are isolated. That means no condoms, no birth control at all. Each family should have tons of kids, which end up getting married have having tons more kids. So why is there less that fifty houses in this town?” Palmer explained, shoving her hands in her pockets. 

“I don’t know.” Morgan shrugged. “What I do know is, we need to find something soon or we’ll have to leave.” 

“Cremation takes time. Time that I don’t think these people had if the building caught fire too. They would have been more concerned with getting the fire out and keeping the embers under control in the hours after the chopper doused it. If there is a body, it has to be around here somewhere.” JJ continued looking, Palmer and Morgan splitting off as well.

It didn’t take long to find what they were looking for. In a far off corner, under a massive oak tree, a piece of sod sat crooked over disturbed dirt. Morgan knelt down and dug down a little in the cold ground with his hand. He pulled out a simple clay pot, and set it in the snow. Inside were obvious human remains, with bits of cloth and bone mixed in. “I think we found one.” Morgan lifted the pot and set it aside. “Wait a minute.” He saw something and continued to move the dirt to reveal another pot. “We have two. Call Hotch and get the team out here.”


	6. Six

Chapter Six

 

Palmer trotted between houses, headed for the home of the Thatcher’s. It was a small building near the cemetery. It had been temporarily converted into an interrogation station since it was far enough away from the other houses that it could be an easily controlled environment. There were three rooms but the BAU wasn’t using them. They were far too small and the walls too thin to interrogate several people at once so they just set their table up in the main room. 

“Hotch?” She called as she neared the door. An old man, bent and white, blocked her path. Zachary Thatcher. Palmer’s eyes narrowed at the old man. He had insisted she was a whore and a witch, guilty of seducing the men of the BAU into doing her bidding, thus refusing her or JJ access to any of the buildings were the case was being investigated. There wasn’t much Hotch could do about it, since the homes were private property and people had a right to refuse people at their discretion. Warrant or not, Hotch wanted this investigation to go smoothly. To do so, they had to make compromises, or they ran the risk of the towns people shutting down and refusing to give them any information.

“What is it Palmer?” Hotch stood and met her at the door. Palmer could see Reid sitting by the fire, notepad in hand. He had taken his coat off and Palmer pulled his scarf tight. It was so warm in there. Warm and dry and Palmer wanted nothing more than to warm herself by that fire. 

“I have some information as to how this place runs.” She spoke softly, eyeing Reid. Hotch didn’t miss the glance. He raised a brow with a gentle smirk, which he replaced with his normal stoic expression before he turned to Reid.

“Reid, go with Palmer and write down anything relevant to this case. The more we know about how this place works, the better.” Hotch ordered. One reason he brought Palmer to the BAU in the first place was how well Reid and Palmer worked together. She wasn’t a genius, but she knew enough to spark Reid and get him going in a different direction. It hadn’t escaped Hotch’s attention that Reid was avoiding her like the plague and he needed his team working to the best of their capabilities right now. Whatever the issue was, it needed to be sorted out quickly before the investigation was compromised.

The younger agent was about to say something but in the face of Hotchner, he pursed his lips and slipped into his coat without a word. Palmer led him back across the compound toward the chapel. The nuns had agreed to let the women stay in the sanctuary since the rest of the town had refused to let them into their homes. Palmer had hoped that the walk would give them a chance to talk but Reid remained silent. 

“Thank you. For the scarf I mean.” She said, almost shyly. It was like meeting him all over again, just not in a pleasant way. All the hours on the phone for the past few months seemed to be completely irrelevant. Still, she couldn’t help but draw the scarf close to herself once more, taking in the clean scent of soap and old books. 

“You were cold.” He whispered, watching the ground as he walked. It didn’t matter if he was upset with her or not, he still cared about her. 

The sanctuary had no merry fire to warm them up. It was just as cold inside the stone and wood walls as outside, the braziers black and devoid of flame. A nun had explained that with the high vaulted ceilings it would take too long to get the building to a desirable temperature and that even in the winter they were generally unused as the high amount of people in the church made it warm without the use of fire.

Hours ago Palmer had joked that the real reason was that they didn’t want to give the witches fire to brew their potions on. The two women had shared a laugh at this but with the sun descending and the temperatures plummeting, it wasn’t as funny now.

Reid’s expression changed when he entered the chapel, turning from calm relaxed one to one of concern. None of the women had said anything to Hotch about the conditions they were working in. A deep pang of guilt set into his stomach. 

“It’s freezing in here. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“We don’t have time for that Spence.” JJ shifted to see him better. “We can waste time and get Hotch to threaten them with a SWAT team again, or we can get down to business.” So far, he was the only one that knew about her pregnancy, but she was sure that wasn’t the only reason Reid was worried. Blue eyes glanced toward Palmer, pacing with her hands under her arms.

“Yeah, I’m sure they won’t make us sleep in the chapel. Even they know it’s too cold and the last thing they need are two dead FBI agents.” Palmer shrugged and picked up a stack of papers, deft fingers flipping through pages of notes, family trees, and marital records. 

There was little point in arguing with the women, even if he believed they were working under terrible conditions. Instinctively Palmer rubbed Reid’s arm in a comforting way, before joining JJ on one of the benches. The two of them were huddled together on a hard wooden pew in their coats, hats, and scarves. Their files and papers spread all over the pews around them, their fingers red from the cold as they wrote down anything from the notary that was of use. 

The notary was a half blind old man with arthritis, but that didn’t stop him from hand writing all of the towns information. However, since there was no true spelling norm, some of the names were spelled incorrectly, or the spellings were different between documents for the same person. One Bartholomew Mason had his name spelled as Bartholomew, Bartholemew, and Bertholamew on three different documents. The notary seemed to know exactly who he was talking about but manually tracking down all of the misspellings with the correct people was exceedingly difficult for the outsiders.

“Ok, earlier Palmer pointed out that with the number of graves, the number of houses in the town was far too low and she was right.” JJ started, handing Reid a paper of births just from the past year. “We searched through everything and found out that only the first born of a family gets married. All of the unwed children take posts in other parts of the compound once they hit maturity. Sons go to the farm in the north, and the women stay here at the church. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but it seems like every single wedding has to be double checked and approved by the notary. He keeps track of family lines, births, marriages, and deaths. Everything that happens here goes through him.” 

Palmer dropped the papers on a pew and rubbed her hands together for warmth. “The kids married off at sixteen, but they continue to live in their family home, unless of course they decide to build a new one. According to these records, not very many people choose to build their own homes. With medical care being what it was in the early nineteenth century, people don’t live long. There are very few records of people living past their fifties, with Gabriel Bishop being one of those at fifty six years old.”

“That explains the lack of housing. I noticed that the larger buildings don’t have windows above the second story. I think it’s a precautionary measure to keep people from seeing over the wall.” Reid mused.

“The notary records indicate that the five big houses in the center of town belong to the higher up church members, who happen to share similar last names that correlate with their rank in the church.” Palmer flipped through some papers. “The Bishops live in the largest house, with the Priests with and ‘I’ on the right, and Preasts with an “a” on the left. The spelling of the last names are different so I don’t think they’re actually the same family. On the outer edge of the arch are the Deacons with an ‘a’ on the far right and Deecons with a double ‘e’ on the far left. Last names are the only names that are the same on all documentation, so that tells me that the last name matters a lot more than the first.”

“The misspellings are no doubt the keep the family lines from being confused, but they likely have the same jobs.” Reid jotted down some of the info. “The coroner came in and took a look at the bones. He said that since the body had already been cremated, there was no way to pinpoint a cause of death. However, there were some larger bone fragments in the second pot that had some markings and cracks that the coroner said were inconsistent with the splintering caused by the cremation process. He wasn’t able to say anything else about it since there wasn’t enough evidence but it made me think about the nature of inquisitions themselves.” He began to sketch something on a piece of paper but Palmer was already on the same page.

“Seek out heretics by means of torture.” She said quietly.

Reid’s hand stopped moving for a moment before he looked up at her. JJ watched the two stare at each other, the faint puffs from their breaths were the only indicators that time had not stood still briefly. “We’ve seen a lot of torture in this job but the tortures from medieval times were some of the most gruesome spectacles in history.” It was as if the warning was aimed for Riley herself. Several months had passed since they had escaped Tucker Hill and unlike Reid, Palmer had not been subjected to scenes of violent torture since then. She had done well in counseling and therapy, but Reid was worried that whatever they might find here would spark an episode of anxiety or PTSD for her, or even for JJ.

There was always a possibility for torture at the BAU. Whether they were witnessing it, or enduring it. Reid just had to trust that Hotch wouldn’t have cleared her for this job if she wasn’t capable of handling the stress. The mistake had already been made a long time ago with Elle, with the intensity of her anger being unleashed on an unarmed, albeit guilty, man. 

“They would need privacy for that.” JJ stated, snapping Reid out of his thoughts, focusing him once more on the drawings of crude torture devices. 

“Most of the devices are used to dislocate or crush limbs.” He handed JJ the page, now full of sketches featuring various items used for torture. “As you can imagine, it’s extremely painful and can extend for hours, days, even weeks to extract confessions from perceived heretics. Most people aren’t even guilty of heresy, but after a time they give in to the pain in order to stop their own suffering. Sometimes they even give up the names of loved ones or neighbors who were also innocent, thinking the confession would spare them but it never ended up like that.”

“Sounds brutal.” JJ sighed, passing the sketch sheet to Palmer, who stuffed it in with the other papers without so much as a glance. She already knew what the devices looked like and it made her stomach turn to look at them. Being kidnapped and tortured made her far more empathetic toward victims of torture. Sometimes it was as if she was experiencing the pain just by looking at it. This is not to say she was weak; she was just more careful about what she saw. 

“With this level of brutality, they would need a quiet, secluded place to torture their victims. This is a small community, people are too likely to hear the screams if the area isn’t cut off from the rest of the town.” Riley said as she started to pace, half for warmth, half to keep her train of thought going.

“Yeah, they must have a secluded area to imprison and torture their victims. What I don’t get is, even with a torture chamber, how do they get away with this? Like Palmer said, this is a small community. They would know if one of their own was killed and these victims are someone’s child. How do they keep people from retaliating?” 

“This compound is everything to them. They’re born and raised here with no ties or connections to the outside world and no way to survive outside of these walls. If it wasn’t for the cremation urns in the graveyard, as well as death certificates, I would think the best way would be to say the heretics are exiled.” Palmer motioned to the air while she spoke, her boots scuffing on the hard stone floor with her constant pacing. 

“I think it’s much simpler than that.” Reid shook his head. “In the medieval times, no one retaliated or went against the word of the inquisitors because they would be subjected to the same treatment. Speaking against the church would undoubtedly lead to excommunication or accusations of heresy, followed by torture and eventually death. It was safer to keep your head down and let the inquisitors weed out heresy.”

“If we want to prove that those bodies are products of torture and murder, we’ll have to find that torture chamber.” Palmer plopped down on a pew and ran her fingers through her dark hair. “I am not looking forward to that.” She sighed. 

“Me either but since these people won’t talk to us, we have to do something. There’s only so much we can learn sitting here looking through paperwork.” JJ had a point that Palmer had to agree with. 

“Yeah I know. If Morgan, Hotch, and Reid are helping Sheriff West with investigations, the best thing we can home for is that the town’s people will be distracted by them and not notice us.” Palmer yawned. The chapel had grown darker in the time that they had been talking and only the faint pink glow of dusk offered any light through the crude glass windows. Reid was gathering his notes together with Palmer and JJ’s to review later when the door of the chapel opened. Sheriff West and Hotch strode in, Gabriel Bishop hot on their heels. 

“JJ, Palmer,” he addressed them calmly. “Sheriff West will be escorting you back into town where you’ll be staying at a local motel.”

“Those witches will not be permitted into my town between sunset and sunrise. I cannot allow them the opportunity to prey on my people in the dark.” Bishop glared at the women warily, his body language thick with distrust and fear. Dark eyes darted to the window, watching the suns decent into the distant mountains. 

Hotch was not happy to have been interrupted. He turned stiffly to Bishop and spoke calmly, but with much authority. “Thank you Bishop. But I need to be alone with my team right now. Agents Palmer and Jareau will be out of the compound before the sun sets.” 

Silence filled the chapel while Bishop thought about his options. One last glance at JJ and Palmer and the man was retreating to the door. As soon as it clicked behind him, Hotch spoke to them in a hushed tone.

“I’m very sorry about the conditions you two are being forced into, but I want you to know that I’m doing the best I can. I have to try to keep these people happy, or they might not cooperate.” Hotch explained. JJ and Palmer reluctantly nodded that they understood. “Bishop doesn’t want either of you to sleep inside the compound, but he has allowed Morgan, Reid, and I to stay. They’re being more helpful that I expected but this might be because they don’t think they’ll get caught. They want us in and out as soon as possible but without the right evidence, we won’t be able to make any arrests.”

“When we come back in the morning, Palmer and I will search the town for any sort of torture chamber. If you keep the town occupied, they might not see us snooping around.” JJ crossed her arms over her chest. It was obvious that she was irritated at being kicked out. She and Palmer had as much right to be there as the men did, but they were being treated like vermin.

“Alright. Go back to town and get warmed up. Sheriff West will bring you back at sunrise, so be ready.” He nodded a dismissal and left., JJ followed slowly, leaving Reid and Palmer alone in the church.

“Here.” Palmer slipped the scarf from around her neck, shivering when her skin was exposed to the cold. “Thanks again.” She forced a smile.

“I’ll get it later.” Reid turned to leave, hands gripping his papers. 

Palmer caught his arm before he had time to turn completely. “Spencer, please. What did I do to make you act like this? If you don’t want me in the BAU, I’ll leave. I just thought…” Riley sighed, letting her fingers slip from Reid’s elbow. 

“Just take it with you.” He replied, ignoring her question. Why was he dragging this out? He wasn’t even sure he knew anymore. Not once had he explained that her behavior lately had caused him a tremendous amount of stress. Perhaps if he would have addressed the situation in the beginning by expressing his concerns, none of this would have even happened. She would need an explanation regarding his own behavior and that meant telling her his fears and he was just not prepared for that yet. 

“Spencer, take it.” She said, more firmly this time. “I’m going to a motel to get a hot shower and sleep in a warm bed. You will no doubt need it more than I will. Besides, we’ll be going through town. I’ll just get the sheriff to stop somewhere so I can buy one for myself.”

I’m so sorry Riley, Reid thought, reaching out to grab the scarf. When his fingers touched hers, she recoiled as though she had been burned. It made him hurt the ways he pulled away, but he didn’t miss the pain in her eyes. If he wasn’t careful, he would cause a rift between them. was he supposed to tell her that she had hurt him with her actions, accidental or not, while still expressing that he wasn’t done being upset. “Riley, it’s not that I don’t want you here.” he began, fidgeting with the scarf. 

“Palmer, it’s time to go.” JJ interrupted, peeking through the doorway and grinning apologetically. Had it been possible to allow them more time, she would have done so, but Bishop was pushing Hotch to escort the women out as soon as possible.

“Maybe tomorrow.” Palmer said flatly, stepping away from Reid before hurrying to join JJ. Leaving without an answer was difficult. Reid was finally about to come clean about his strange behavior and Riley had to walk away because of the ridiculous old Bishop and his witch theories.

Watching Riley walk out the door was even harder for Reid. Fingers gripped the warm scarf tightly as he strode across the room to watch her leave. The sheriff opened the doors of the SUV’s for the ladies, unaware that Bishop was glowering disapprovingly. Rossi stopped to speak to them for a brief moment before the vehicle exited the compound, the last light of day fading away as they left. Reid hoped this missed opportunity would not be replicated tomorrow, but he was relieved that the discussion was cut short. At least now he didn’t have to say anything before its time. Oh the two edged sword, it cuts deep. 

Sweet peas. The scarf now smelt of sweet peas and faintly like honeysuckle. Reid allowed his eyes to close, taking in the scent completely and letting it transport him back to the time he had held her. That precious moment before Tucker had snatched her away from him. Riley had visited him several times since October, but he had never been close enough to her to catch her scent since that first time. 

Reid knew his disappointment was unfounded. There were no words to describe how he felt about himself for treating her the way he had been since that morning. He hadn’t even given her a reason. Tomorrow he would let her know it wasn’t her fault. It would be wrong to let this end because of unfounded fears. Reid was resigned in his decision, but that didn’t make it any easier. Her response had the potential to be devastating.


	7. Seven

Chapter Seven

 

The next morning had been even colder than the last, with the temperature well below freezing. Palmer had bought herself a new scarf at a local store, stopping to take a minute and speak with the natives about the compound. They had some interesting stories but all in all it boiled down to local legends and myths. None of it seems substantiated which was to be expecting since no one had been in or out since that boy escaped fifteen years prior.

By the time Palmer and JJ arrived at the gate, the entire compound was abuzz. Everyone who was old enough to understand had been told why the FBI was investigating and that they had brought a couple of witches with them. People parted like the red sea as they walked in, afraid to be touched by the women. Not a single one of them would make eye contact with the female agents when they set out to find their team. 

Dawn was upon them now but the clouds overhead made it difficult to tell. It would likely be snowing later and the women were eager to set out looking for the torture chamber before that happened. Again, they were denied access to where the men were staying but luckily they were all ready for work when JJ and Palmer arrived. 

The three men stepped outside, their shoes crunching in the snow. Everyone exchanged their good mornings and any small details they had found. Palmer told Hotch about the local legends and the sheriff said that he had found the grave of the boy that had escaped to his father’s farm almost two decades before. 

“That boy died the day after he was brought back here. I know that was no accident.” The sheriff shook his head, running his gloved hand over his head. “There wasn’t a thing wrong with that boy except that he was scared out of his mind. They must have done something to him.” He whispered bitterly, eying the surroundings to be sure no one else was listening.

“That may be true but we can’t dwell on it right now.” Hotch redirected the conversation. “We need to get a head count on these people and see if there are any discrepancies with the notaries files. Reid checked the death records last night and the cremated remains are unaccounted for.”

“We suspect that they didn’t have the time to write out the death records but that means that we have at least two birth certificates with no matching death certificates. If we can bring everyone in and take a head count, we can figure out which ones are still alive, and by default, what people are missing.” Reid explained.

“Sheriff, I need you to stay here with me and interrogate people. Rossi and Reid will be outside gathering people and taking their information at the door. We’ll need a complete list. Anyone that doesn’t attend, unless they’re physically unable, will be considered a suspect automatically. Be sure that the townsfolk know this, as it could force them to attend. JJ and Palmer, I need you two to search the town for the torture chamber. There’s a chance it could be out in the woods but I don’t think it’s likely. The warrant says we have the right to search people’s homes, so use that. I didn’t want to force them to open their homes to us yesterday for fear that people would shut us out completely but if you can be discreet, there is no reason they would ever know anyone was in there.” Hotch said.

“I don’t like using this method, but we don’t have a choice right now.” Rossi sighed, shifting on his feet. "They don’t want to talk to us. We’re outsiders. No one is going to pop up and say, ‘yeah my neighbor has a secret room where he tortures heretics.’ Any information we get, we’ll have to find ourselves.”

“We’ll start by checking the larger houses. I don’t think the smaller homes are fit to hide something like that. We’re probably looking for a basement or a secret interior room.” Said JJ. 

“Alright let’s get this started before it starts to snow.” Hotch’s attention was drawn away to Bishop, who was descending on them quickly. “Bishop, we need you to assemble your citizens. I need every man woman and child to come through here.”

“Most of our men reside at the farm.” Bishop stated. “It would take time to get them here.” He glared at JJ and Palmer, not sure what was offending him more, their presence or Hotch asking him to assemble his people.

“That’s fine. It’ll take time to get through all of the people in the town. Agent Morgan will go with you to get the men.”

Bishop had no choice but obey Hotch. “Very well. I shall send a messenger.” He grumbled, hands on his meaty hips. “It might be a few hours before they arrive.” Bishop warned them once more before joining the other house heads to discuss rounding up their people.

“Let’s get going.” Palmer said, motioning with her head toward the larger homes. “If we head toward the chapel and cut back around no one should notice us.”

Reid began to follow her, hoping for a moment to apologize, but Rossi handed him a clipboard with pages of names. When he looked back up, Palmer and JJ were gone. He sighed and took his place with Rossi. There would be time to speak to Riley later.

JJ led the say to the chapel, darting around the back while the nuns exited through the front door. After a moment of waiting, they crept around toward the semi-circle of multilevel houses. They appeared to be empty, silent, and still. “We need to check Bishop’s house first. He’s their leader, if anything is going on I’m sure he knows about it. Go around back and check to see if any windows are open.” JJ said in a hushed tone. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye out.”

Palmer nodded her understanding and skirted the house. On the other side, there were a few windows on the first level but they were a little high off the ground. She grabbed a snow covered bucked to stand on, positioning it below the first window, but it was shut tight. Probably hadn’t been opened in years. Then she moved to the next window. One after the other she checked the windows until she was close to the end of the building. She sank the bucket into the snow for support, then climbed up.

Without warning, the ground collapsed beneath her. Her fingers slipped from the windowsill as she cried out in surprise. Down she fell into the depths of a deep pit, landing with her foot in the bucket. Flat on her back she could see the sky through a jagged hole above. A few pieces of splintered wood fell around her and she knew she had fallen through some sort of cellar door. But there were no stairs. What was happening? Pain shot through her ankle when she tried to stand. The way her foot had landed in the bucket must have injured her ankle, though she wasn’t sure of the extent of the injury. It was a long fall and all she wanted to do was lay there and catch her breath.

JJ appeared in the hole, concern etching her face when she caught sight of her colleague. “Riley, are you alright?” she called into the pit.

“Yeah, I think so. I hurt my ankle but I think I’m fine. But I can’t get out. There aren’t any stairs or anything.” Palmer rolled to her side to get a better look at her surroundings. “I think this is a sort of oubliette. There’s a door, and I can see some light coming through the bars.” She stood slowly, keeping off of her injured ankle, and hobbled to the door.

“What do you see?” JJ asked.

“I think I found the torture chamber.” Palmer replied as she peered through the barred window of the door. “The door’s locked from the other side. There are all kinds of torture devices down here.” Her stomach rolled when she saw an unconscious teenage boy strung up with his arms dislocated. “JJ, go get help, there’s a boy!”

JJ stayed quiet as she trotted back to the team, careful not to be seen as she approached form the chapel area. Rossi and Reid were greeting people at the door and taking down their names. They didn’t even realize JJ approaching until she was on them. The people moved away from her, giving her the space she needed to address her comrades. For once the fear of the people was benefiting her.

“What did you find? Where’s Riley?” Rossi asked.

“I think we found the torture chamber but Palmer fell into this oubliette thing behind Bishop’s house and I can’t get her out.” Before JJ could even finish her sentence, Reid dropped his clipboard in the snow and darted in the direction JJ had come from. “She’s ok, but she hurt her ankle. She says there’s a boy down there Rossi. We know now that they’re torturing people.” JJ finished to Rossi. 

“I’ll let Hotch know. Bishop rounded up his citizens, then rode up with his messenger to bring the men back from the barn. We insisted he stay here but he refused. Something is going on here and I think Bishop is behind it. You and Reid try to find a way into those cells. We don’t need the townsfolk to know yet. Keep it quiet and if you need anything else, we’ll be here.” Rossi replied, watching the people around them carefully, though none of them seemed in the least bit interested in the present conversation, or were too far away to hear.


	8. Eight

Chapter Eight

 

When one person truly cares for another, an accident can bring up a flood of regrets. Being unsure if the person is alive and well, or had passed away, prompts the memory to relive every touch, every angry word, and missed opportunity. Reid’s mind was no different. It just didn’t seem like he could run fast enough to Bishop’s house. Like in a nightmare, his legs felt made of lead, although he was running as fast as he could. 

When he neared Bishop’s house, he felt the panic rise to the top of his head. Around the corner he sprinted, so fast that he slid in the snow, nearly toppling over onto his side before dropping down at the hole. “Riley? Where are you? Are you alright?” He called.

“Spencer?” She replied, limping back to the center, feeling relief at the sight of his face. “I’m here Spencer. I’m okay, it’s just my ankle. Listen, you have to get me out of here. There’s a boy, we have to save him.”

“Riley, I’m going to get you out of there, but I need you to tell me everything you see.”

“Ok.” Palmer replied, slowly returning to the door. “Alright it’s a pretty big room. There are ropes and chains hanging from the ceiling.” She swallowed hard. “The boy is hanging by his arms and I’m pretty sure they’re dislocated.”

“What else do you see Riley, I need to know everything.”

“Um. There are a lot of torture devices everywhere. I see some unlit torches on the walls, and a big metal brazier in the middle of the room. To the left is some sort of confessional I think. It’s pretty small but I think that’s what it is. Across the room from me is a long black curtain. I’m not sure but there may be a door or something back there.”

By this time JJ had joined Reid at the top of the hole. “That must be another way in. Palmer said she was locked in and there aren’t any stairs. This isn’t the main entrance.”

“Yeah I think the main entrance must be in the house.” Reid quickly agreed, then stood and began to walk around the building. Once in front, he scanned each home, to be sure no one was watching, and hastily stepped inside.

The interior was simple, devoid of creature comforts or art pieces that didn’t depict Jesus Christ, Saints, or Angels. Reid canvased the bottom floor of the house, finally coming across a single room with a large threadbare rug. It was out of place in the home so Reid kicked back a corner to discover a trap door. 

Reid rushed to the back of the house, finding the window above JJ and gave it a hard rap with his knuckles to get her attention. When she looked up at him, he pointed toward the interior of the home and JJ nodded in understanding. She jogged around to the front door and he met her there. 

“I think I found the entrance. Go back and tell Hotch. I’m going in to get Riley and the boy but unless something happens, I don’t want these people knowing. We’re cut off in here, completely outnumbered, even with side arms. I’m going down there but I need you to cover the hatch up once I’m in.” Reid explained calmly.

“You can’t go in there by yourself Reid.” JJ warned.

“JJ, we don’t have a lot of time. They could come back at any minute. I need to get down there and help them now.” Reid insisted. JJ’s eyes darted around the room. She was worried but she also knew that Reid was right. After a moment, she nodded and Reid threw back the hatch. It was dark and eerily silent but Reid descended the steps anyway. He didn’t have a choice.

The walls of the tunnel were too close for Reid’s comfort. He pulled out his phone and pushed the button, the faint light illuminated the dark hall. Every step he took echoed through the corridor. The wall to his left fell away under his hand and closer inspection with the light of the phone revealed another tunnel. Across from that, another sprawled off to the left. In his mind he could see his placement according to the layout of the houses above. These two tunnels likely led to the houses of the other town leaders. 

If he had more time he would have traversed the tunnels to find exactly where they led to, but Riley was waiting for him, locked in a small cell with an unconscious boy who might be on the brink of death. Reid knew he had to get in and out as quickly as possible, so he continued on the middle path a few more feet until the dark curtain that Riley had described was in front of him. Hands trembling, he opened the curtain and light streamed into the corridor from the brazier.

“Spencer, check the boy.” Riley called, pointing at the teen through the barred window. 

Reid immediately went to him. His arms were dislocated and likely had been for a day or two, probably done right before the BAU arrived. There was no doubt in Reid’s mind that this boy would have been the next to be burned at the stake. Gently, he tested for a pulse.

“He’s still alive, but I’m not sure how long he’ll last.” Reid stepped back, unsure of what to do. He couldn’t release the boy on his own; he would need Hotch to help him lift the teen to keep from causing more pain and injury. “We need to tell Hotch.” He crossed the room and examined the door. There wasn’t a lock, just a thick iron pin keeping the door closed. “Have you tried to call out on the satellite phone?”

“Yeah, right after JJ left to get help. I was worried she might be intercepted. These things are useless underground. Just get me out and we can go back and get him.” Riley braced herself as the door swung open on creaky hinges. Limping, she stepped toward the brazier and out of Reid’s way as he closed the door. “Be sure to put that pin back. We don’t want anyone to know we’re here if we don’t have to. Let’s just go back and get help.” Riley said, internally cursing the lack of cell service. If they their phones they could just call Hotch and not have to leave behind the boy or any of the evidence, not that the torture devices could be easily moved anyway.

Reid pulled Palmer’s arm over his shoulder to support her as she walked. “How did you hurt your ankle?” He asked.

“Well, I was standing on a bucket when the trap collapsed. Landed with my foot in the stupid thing.” Palmer explained, more than a little embarrassed. “I’m pretty sure it’s not-“ Her sentence was interrupted when Reid pulled her harshly into the small confessional, one arm around her and his hand clasped firmly on her mouth. It was a good thing he did, as she immediately started protesting. His breath was hot in her ear when he shushed her but it was too late. The sounds of footsteps and muffled voices quieted her. When he was sure she was going to be quiet, he released her but she did not move. There wasn’t enough room to move so she remained pressed against him, afraid that putting pressure on the door might cause it to swing open. Her hands braced either side of the cubby for support.

Someone was moving through the tunnels. Palmer peeked through the door of the booth, the thick wicker like screen let in some of the golden glow from the brazier but for the most part, the confessional remained dark. Reid could see Riley's outline against the glow; her dark locks flickering gold, and he could smell her skin. Sweet pea, just how his scarf smelled when she returned it. Suddenly, here in the dark, feet away from killers, trapped and possibly in life threatening danger, Reid wondered why he had wasted so much time being angry at her. The apology caught hard in his throat. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for everything, but there were people in the room now. 

Everything was so quiet, Reid could swear he heard Riley's heartbeat. Then again, that was most likely his own pounding heart in his ears. Outside of the confessional, the shuffling footsteps came to a halt. Reid wanted to lean forward and look around Riley to the scene outside, but he was too afraid to move. Any creak or shuffle might alert the enemy to their presence. Riley's ankle was already swollen, they didn't have much chance to fight them if something went wrong.

“How are we going to keep this quiet after those Agents leave?” One man ranted from outside of the confessional. “The children were already doubting, questioning. This would have quieted them once more, but those Agents...”

“The men may have unveiled us in time, but it is those witches we need to be wary of. They are wily and of the devil, sewing seeds of lust in their male superiors. It is truly sickening.” The next man growled through his teeth. Reid's brow creased as he felt Riley tense. Since the moment they set foot in camp, the women has been treated poorly, being shunned, banned from most buildings, and forced to work in terrible conditions. 

“Never mind those witches. Our Father in heaven will not allow them to prevail against us. I am not sure what will happen next. Only one thing is certain, this place must never be found. The boy must be moved. Take him to the physician and be sure he is kept quiet by any means necessary. He has not yet paid for his heresy.” The third man stated.

“Those Agents will find him. They are rounding up the entire village. They will know our numbers are wrong. What do we do?” 

“We will say it was an accident. Send some men out to cut down that tree next to the Wall. That is what started all of this anyway. Get rid of it. If anyone asks, tell them the boy fell from the tree. Tell them that we are cutting it down so this sort of thing will not happen again.” 

Riley could see the man gesture toward the teen. Movements were vaguely discernible, but there was no way to tell who the men were. The screen was far too thick, as it was intended to be to keep the identity of the confessor secret. The same thing that was aiding in concealing the pair, was also hindering their investigation. 

Reid could hear shuffling on the other side, the sounds of the men lifting the injured boy. He was in bad shape, but at least now they knew where he was going. For now he would be safe. So far they had proof of torture, and even a victim. Now they just needed to figure out who those voices belonged too. Reid himself had seen nothing of their faces, but hoped that Palmer has caught a glimpse through the screen. As thick as it was, it was highly unlikely, yet Reid chose to hope anyway. 

Within minutes the sounds of shuffling feet dissipated. Riley exhaled, relaxing her shoulders and letting her head fall forward in relief. She wasn't sure how long she had gone without taking a breath but she could feel her own pulse in her fingers. Reid pressed forward against her, helping her push the door open. “Sorry I was so rough with you. Are you alright?” He asked, genuinely concerned. 

Palmer allowed Reid to loop her arm over his shoulders as she nodded that she was fine. It was nice to see that he wasn't angry and sulking anymore. She just wished this change had come about sooner and of his own will instead of fear of an outside force. Still, the air felt thick and awkward. He had yet to say what he had been so upset about in the first place and Riley wasn't willing to just let it go like that. There would have to be an explanation at some point. The female agent decided that here was neither the time, nor place for this conversation and leaned on her male comrade, taking a little comfort in his warmth and guiding hand. Soon they would be topside and able to tell Hotch everything they knew. At this moment, a million questions bubbling inside of Palmer's head, she wished for nothing more than to be on the jet home. 

The journey through the tunnel and back to the team was a long one. They shuffled across the dirt floor of the tunnel, waited patiently to be sure all sounds of footsteps were gone from the house above before emerging, all the while fearing they would be discovered by someone traversing the tunnel from one of the other connected passageways. Once out in the cold air they quickly hobbled behind the houses in the hopes of rejoining the others without being noticed. Any strained feelings between them were temporarily set aside to focus on getting through to Hotch.

Rossi glanced up at them from his clipboard, a line of people were still waiting outside to be accounted for. It was obvious that he was relieved that the two had returned in one piece, but he made no more toward them. Riley had to wait outside, leaned against the building near the older Agent while Reid entered and conveyed their experience to Hotch. 

“You alright kid?” Rossi asked quietly, never taking his eyes off of the names on his list,

“Yeah I’m alright.” Palmer replied, wishing she had somewhere to sit down. Beyond that, she wished they could go and help the injured boy now. The problem with that was if they came down on the villagers now, they still wouldn’t know who had committed the act. This was the hard part. Waiting. Waiting for Hotch to come up with a plan. Waiting to see if the boy would survive his injuries. A part of Riley knotted inside her. They couldn’t kill the boy while the BAU was around. It would draw too much attention. But on the other hand, they surely weren’t going to let him talk either. The doctor was bound to keep him sedated until the BAU left, and then what? No. Riley shook her head, refusing to think about it. There was already plenty to go on. The chances of them leaving here without the perpetrator was astronomical. That didn’t mean their job would be easy. If they had been careful thus far, they would have to be extra careful now. 

Within moments, Sheriff West exited the little building with one of his men and Morgan.   
They called Riley aside, just around the edge of the building, Morgan guiding her by the arm, supporting her as they walked. After all this time, Riley was still amazed at how strong he was, but gentle as a kitten when he had to be. 

“Palmer, I know you’re hurt, but we need you to come with us. A group of men were seen riding out of town toward the woods and we think they are going to cut that tree down now. Reid says you may not have seen much of anything from behind the confessional screen, but you saw more of them than anyone else. We need you to ride north with us and try to catch up with these guys before they cut that tree down.” The West explained.

Riley’s ankle throbbed, but she couldn’t just deny the request. She had seen more of them than Reid had, and she doubted that those men would have had time to take the boy to the doctor and change his clothes before heading out, given one of them even went to cut down the tree. There was always the possibility that they had merely sent someone else. 

“I don’t know how much help I’ll be. Everyone around here dresses so similarly, most of what I saw was just colors.” Riley was doubtful that she would really be of any use to them.

“Palmer, we need you on this one. I know everything around here blurs together, and you may not be able to identify anyone. But if you could, that would help.” Morgan nudged gently. 

Riley sighed and relented. “Alright.” 

“Good. I’ll get Doctor Reid to check you out before we go.” Sheriff West replied before jogging around the corner to retrieve Spencer, the other police officer trailing him.

“JJ told me what happened. Are you sure you’re ok?” Morgan asked, concerned for his comrade.

“I’m ok. I don’t think it’s broken or anything. If I could just, get it wrapped or something it’ll be fine.” Riley said, half convinced. 

“Look, if we didn’t need you, I wouldn’t ask. We’ll be on horses so you won’t be walking.” Morgan didn’t sound very thrilled about riding. 

Reid and Sheriff West came around the corner a moment later with a small empty crate for her to sit on while her ankle was tended to. Reid agreed that it probably wasn’t broken, he wrapped it for her with the promise to inspect it better later. 

“Alright, I’ll go get some horses ready. I’ll be back in just a minute.” Sheriff West said, ready to get out on the trail before it got too dark. The three of them didn’t know the land like the natives did and traveling in unknown territiry after dark was reckless. Morgan paused a moment, then followed the Sheriff to the stables.

“Horses?” Reid’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“The Sheriff thinks I might be able to help them. If one of those men from the torture chamber headed up with some men to cut down that tree, they think I may be able to identify him. I’m not so convinced but I’ll do what I can to help.” Riley braced against the wall and stood, allowing Reid to help her to her feet. He didn’t look pleased,

“Do you really think you should do that?” Reid asked. 

“I’ll be fine. Morgan and the Sheriff will be there too.” Riley brushed it off. 

Reid didn’t want her to go. All this time he had been acting unreasonably and he still hadn’t apologized or explained himself. It was causing a strained atmosphere between them that he hadn’t intended. And frankly, he didn’t like it. But what could he do? He had to get it out right now.

“Riley, I think...” He started.

“Alright Palmer, let’s hit the trail.” The Sheriff came around the corner with a little white mare and a large brown stallion in tow. Morgan was around the side of the building on a dun mare that he was having a hard time staying on. Riley could hear the townspeople snickering at the FBI Agent that couldn’t even ride a docile mare. 

“We’ll have to talk about this later Spencer.” Riley patted his arm gently, reassuring him without words that she wasn’t angry with him. As much as she wanted to know what his problem had been, now wasn’t the time. Besides, maybe leaving the conversation hanging would make it feel that she was indeed coming back. So far the people here had been careful, most avoiding the team all together, so Riley was sure they weren’t going to physically retaliate. That is, as long as the team never let on that they knew more than they made out. 

These people only wanted their lives to return to normal. They were sure to play it safe to get the FBI out of their homes. Catching them at their act would be a balancing act. They didn’t know that part of their ruse had been uncovered. The inhabitants were not stupid. Surely they knew that if they harmed the agents in any way, more agents would be called in and their would no longer be free to live how they wanted. Riley had seen the anger in some of their eyes, but she didn’t feel they would lash out.

“C’mon Palmer.” Sheriff West helped her mount the little mare and she took the reigns firmly in her hands. Reid looked worried. A part of Riley liked that he was looking at her in that way. Of course, she didn’t want him to worry, but not worrying would also mean that he didn’t care. 

The Sheriff mounted the stallion and the three of them trotted off toward the forest. Riley looked back over her shoulder one last time before the trees engulfed them to see Reid standing at the edge of the town, watching her. She offered a little wave, then disappeared into the shadows.


	9. Nine

Chapter Nine

 

Snow fell gently outside the chapel window, but the large soft flakes may have well been a blizzard in Reid’s eyes. The agent stood quietly at the window, absentmindedly chewing the corner of his thumb. The group had disappeared into the woods almost an hour before and he was already wrought with anxiety. A million ‘what ifs’ spawned by scenarios he had seen along the way only added fuel to the fire. So many things could go wrong and Riley’s ankle was already injured. 

“Spence?” A soft voice broke his concentration. He turned his head to see that JJ had joined him. “Are you ok?” JJ knew the answer, it was written all over Reid’s face. 

“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine.” He lied, refusing to look her in the eye. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Just thinking about the case.” Reid forced a smile, knowing JJ wouldn’t fall for it. His team knew him better than that.

“Uh huh...” She nodded, putting her back to the wall by the window to better face him. “Spence, you and Palmer have been acting kind of weird. Anything happen?”

Reid swallowed hard. He should have known that the team would notice if he was acting differently toward her. It was their job to notice things and he was not outside of their sight. There was a time when he hid even addiction from them, but he wondered if such a thing would be possible now that they knew each other better. There was no hiding this from them, it was all too obvious. “It’s nothing, really.” 

“You know I wouldn’t pry if I didn’t think it was important Spencer. You’ve been acting strangely and she doesn’t seem to know what’s going on either. If you don’t want to talk about it with me, that’s fine, but she has a right to know.” JJ’s voice was soft, without a hint of scolding. Ried knew she only meant well, and wouldn’t have asked if she hadn’t have thought Reid genuinely had a problem. They stood in silence for a moment, but when JJ thought Reid was done talking, she pushed off of the wall and began to walk away.

“I had a dream.” He said, his eyes fixed on the windowsill. JJ stopped and hesitantly eased back against the wall. “A few dreams. Actually.” Reid cleared his throat and quietly explained. “I keep dreaming that Riley goes back to New York and we fall out of touch. But then, I see her again and she’s in an abusive relationship with this...guy...I don’t know. She has a baby and she tells me his name is Reid.” Spencer rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm. “In the dreams, she refused to come with me. I tell her I can keep her safe but she still walks away. At the end of the dream, she’s always dead and her child is gone. I can’t find him...or the man that killed her.” 

“Is that why you’re been acting strangely?” JJ seemed more than a little perplexed. 

“Yeah. I think I was having those dreams because I noticed a change in her over the past week or so and...” Reid looked away again.

“You thought you were losing her.” JJ touched his arm to call his attention back to her. When he looked her in the eye she explained to him very calmly how she felt. “Spence, it’s ok. You were afraid she was drifting away and your subconscious got the better of you. But that isn’t her fault. She just wanted to surprise you with her transfer and she’s tried very hard to keep it a surprise. I saw the look on her face. She was crushed when you didn’t seem to want her there with us. It seems to me like you’re doing the one thing you don’t want to happen. You’re pushing her away.”

“I know. I felt justified at first. I was so upset about the dreams and when I found out why she was distant, I just felt like it was not a good enough reason. I should have apologized a long time ago but after acting like I did, it just got harder.”

“It won’t get easier. The longer you go, the more awkward it gets, til eventually things just break down. I know we’re busy with a case right now, but you really shouldn’t let this go much further than it has.” JJ said. Reid had always been important to her and she had seem him go through more than any one human being should have to. Even if he didn’t realize his feelings for Palmer yet, everyone else saw it and she would hate for Reid to blow his chance at happiness over a petty misunderstanding. 

“I know. As soon as I have the chance, I’ll explain things to her.” He agreed. 

JJ patted his arm, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’ll do fine. Now, let’s get back to work. We should go to the doctor and see about the boy Palmer found. I want to be sure they’re taking care of the boy, and I want to hear their excuse for his condition.”

“No, we should wait for a little bit.” Reid shook his head.

“Why?” JJ asked.

“His shoulders were dislocated. They’ll have to set them again and if we show up now, so soon after, they may not be done with their work. I don’t want to give them any reason to suspect that we’re onto them. Hotch arranged for everyone to be checked in and anyone missing roll call at the end of the line will be sought out. The boy’s name will be on that list for sure and we can go to him then. As far as these people are concerned, there’s no reason we should know that the boy is injured. If we tip them off now that we know something, it could turn the tables against us.” Reid explained.

“What do we do now then?” 

“I’m not sure.” Reid strode over to the pile of notes on a pew and shuffled through them, taking in all of the information again. “If they have been doing this for as long as we think they have, there may be a correlation between death certificates and instances where the police were called about fires. If we can get a list of possible victims, we might be able to exhume the bodies and have more evidence in our favor. Could you call Garcia and write down all of the dates for the 911 calls? I need to sort these death certificates by date.” Reid said as he began to place papers along the pew. 

JJ walked outside and found a quiet area to make the call from the satellite phone. It took a few minutes to pick up a signal and when she did it wasn’t as clear as she hoped it would be. 

“Garcia?“ She said when she thought she heard a voice. 

“I really hate satellite phones.” Garcia griped. 

“We can burn them later, but right now Reid needs to know the dates of all the 911 calls as far back as you can manage. He thinks if he can match up the calls with recorded deaths, he might be able to figure out if anyone else was burned at the stake.” JJ explained.

“Okay...”Garcia said, and JJ heard faint typing over the static connection. “Alright, I have the list. But one thing first; how are Reid and Palmer? Our surprise flopped so hard I’m sure it belongs in a record book somewhere.”

JJ peered back at the church, careful to not be overheard by Reid. When she was convinced he couldn’t hear her, she turned her back on the building and spoke in a hushed tone. “He’s pretty upset that she didn’t tell him. I guess it had him worried that something bad was going on, but I think he’s better now. He hasn’t explained anything to her yet but I’m sure it won’t last much longer.”

“Good, I didn’t want to have to intervene but I totally would if I had to.” 

“I know you would. I don’t think any of us want to see Reid push her away. So, what about that list?” JJ got the conversation back on track.

“Yeah, right.” Garcia focused again. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

JJ rested the phone between her ear and shoulder and readied her pen. She gave Garcia the go ahead, and as she wrote down the dates, she remembered exactly why she preferred technology.


	10. Ten

Chapter Ten

 

It was hard to be alert to the surrounding forest when her mind kept drifting back to Reid. The swaying of the horse below her sank slowly into the background and soon she hardly realized she had the reigns in her hands. She let the white mare follow the Sheriffs stallion at a steady pace down the trail. The birds and trees she had observed when they entered were long forgotten, left behind in the cold so that her mind might be in that moment down in the torture chamber, Reid’s body pressed so close to her own. 

The thought of his warmth only drew attention to how cold she was. A chill raced down her spine and she changed her grip on the reigns as she began to realize the temperature was dropping. But it wasn’t just the cold that drew her out of her own mind; Morgan had come up beside her.

“Palmer, have you heard a word I said?” He seemed slightly annoyed but more amused.

“Hm? No, I’m sorry Morgan. Just a little distracted is all.” She forced a grin, but it didn’t stay. “But um, what were you saying?” She tried to focus on him. 

“Look, I know you’re wondering what’s up with Reid, but he’ll be ok. He’ll come around. You need to focus on the case or Hotch might regret his decision to bring you in. You and Reid work off each other, that’s what made Hotch want to push for your transfer. We want you here, little honey badger.” He wasn’t harsh, but he was honest. And he was right. He tacked his nickname for her on the end with a smile. It was silly, and didn’t really fit her, but it spawned from when Reid told Morgan that Riley hit Tucker Hill on the back of the head with a lamp. Morgan had teased her about it since. 

Riley chuckled and rolled her eyes, then she took a deep breath and straightened herself. “You’re right. I can’t let this get in the way of the case. I have to separate this from work. So, what were you saying again?” She asked, concentrated.

“I hear axes. We’re getting close. I was saying that I can see the wall from here.” He pointed out through the trees.

Riley looked around him, past the black, bare trees. He was right. They had gotten closer to the wall. A lot closer. On their current path, they would be within a few hundred yards of the old gray stone wall. It wasn’t hard to appreciate the wall itself, or the men that built it. AS large as the compound was, it must have taken a long time to complete. It was rather tall, a couple stories at least, and made of stone instead of brick. 

Within moments, the group of men could be seen. They were all standing around a massive oak tree that was relatively close to the wall itself. One of the men noticed the trio and he made the others aware of the FBI agents’ presence. Riley felt herself stiffen under their hateful glares, most of which were directed at her. She could hear one of them saying the white mare she was riding would have to be blessed before anyone else was safe riding it. It made her angry to be treated that way, but she had a job to do. The only comfort she had, was knowing Morgan was at her side. It didn’t matter that he was unarmed, she always felt safer with him nearby. 

“Hello gentleman. Might I ask what you’re doing out here?” Sheriff West stopped the stallion and leaned on the saddle horn as if he was having a normal, casual conversation, tho his voice was laced with suspicion. The men looked around at each other, until one came forward. He was the one that had been hacking at the tree when they arrived.

“We are removing this tree.” He stated plainly.

“Why?” The Sheriff prodded.

The man paused, sizing up the three. “A boy fell out of this tree three days past. Some of the children have been climbing it in dare. We decided to cut it down before anyone else is injured.” He explained. Some of the other men relaxed. At least they saw this as a clever reason for them being out here. The action wasn’t missed however, Morgan glanced at Riley, who returned the look. There was something more to this.

“I see.” The Sheriff nodded, not believing the man’s excuse. “If you’ll excuse us...” He nodded and turned the stallion back in the direction they had come. Riley and Morgan followed, but they only went back far enough to speak without being overheard. “They’re up to something. I just don’t know what. Palmer, did you recognize any of them?”

“Hm...” She peered over her shoulder. “The man that just spoke to us, I’m pretty sure he was in the torture chamber earlier. I can’t be completely positive on that, but his voice sounds familiar.” Her dark hair bobbed a bit as she shook her head. “All of their clothing is so similar...I can’t identify him by his clothing but his voice...”Riley thought, taking in a deep breath. “I think he’s one of them.”

The Sheriff believed her, but the three of them knew that identifying by their voice wasn’t something that was likely to stand in court. They had to have more proof before they started pointing fingers, or they could compromise the case. He leaned forward in the saddle, watching the men, who had returned to cutting down the tree. “I don’t understand. Why this tree?”

“It’s hard to say without getting closer, and that’ll look suspicious from our part. For all we know, this could be one thing they’re telling the truth about. If kids really have been climbing this tree, the parents might actually want it gone.” Morgan said, tho even he wasn’t completely convinced himself.

“I don’t think so.” Riley said quietly, her eyes drawn to the top of the mighty oak. “The other men relaxed when their leader made a reason for them to be here. There has to be something about that tree in particular that they want gone.” This was when she needed Reid. Comfort in Morgan only went as far as the physical, and tho he was not stupid by any means, Reid was who you wanted on your side in a battle of wits. He always seemed to see what the others missed. 

“We’ll have to wait and see what they do with it. If they just leave it here, we can examine it but I don’t think we’d find anything. If they are choppin’ it down because they know it’ll make them look guilty, they won’t just leave it lyin’ around. Especially now that we know where it is and what they’re doing.” The Sheriff observed. 

Riley nodded and pulled out her cell phone. She raised it, and began snapping pictures. “It might not have service, but it still has a great camera.” She said. “I bet we can show these to Reid when we get back and he can figure out the missing link.”

“You sure are confident in Agent Reid.” Sheriff West mused. He hadn’t really seen anything spectacular out of Reid yet, since they had been separated for much of the investigation. It was clear to Palmer and Morgan that the Sheriff was oblivious to Reid’s abilities.

“Doctor Reid. And yes, I am confident in him. I know you haven’t spent much time with him on this case, but he is brilliant, and he tends to see things that we don’t.” Palmer stated with an amused grin. “You’ll see what I mean, I’m sure.” It was always interesting to see how new people reacted to Reid and tho Riley was surprised that the agent had yet to show off his talents, it only made sense in correlation to his recent behavior. 

“We need to get back.” Morgan said, dark eyes locked on the group of men who were now tossing ropes into the top of the tree. Soon they would cut through the trunk enough for them to use the ropes and their horses to finish the job. Even with rudimentary tools, they were making short work of their undertaking. 

The trio retreated further into the woods to watch. Within a half hour the tree was on it’s side and the men began to pack up their gear. Some rode by West, Palmer, and Morgan without giving them a second glance. At the end of the pack, was the man Riley has suspected of being in the torture chamber. His face was plastered with a smug smirk as he neared them.

“You should head back to town before it gets dark. It would be a pity if you were to get lost.” His tone was anything but worried. He tipped his hat to the Sheriff, and soon disappeared into the trees. 

“They didn’t dispose of it.” Sheriff West stated, riding his stallion closer to the fallen tree.

“I really don’t know what to make of it.” Palmer said, allowing Morgan to help her from her mount. It had been blatantly obvious that Morgan didn’t want to be on a horse in the first place, and he made it even more clear by dismounting as quickly as possible once they returned to the clearing. 

Strong hands helped to lift her from the saddle, as if she was a child. Palmer clung to his arm for a moment while she took deep breaths to ease the pain in her ankle. Morgan was patient, only leading her on when he was sure she was ready. After a few steps, she patted his arm in thanks and stepped out on her own. 

Slowly she limped beside the tree til she reached the spot where the roots were still firmly held in the ground. Delicately, she traced the hundreds of rings with her fingers, thinking of the long life the tree had lived, and how it had ended in such a short time. It was upsetting, but she had no choice but to press on. Phone in hand, she took pictures of anything she thought might be relevant, until Morgan called to her.

“Palmer, we gotta go.” He said.

The sky was turning darker. Soon they would be finding their way back with flashlights; a thought Palmer wasn’t too fond of. She hobbled back to her horse, ready to get back to Reid. Ready to get out of the forest. She stayed in the middle of the line as they headed back, darkness descending on them more quickly than she anticipated. Morgan was at her back, she could hear the hooves of his horse, and yet fear prickled her spine. It became obvious that she had watched too many scary movies. Once or twice she caught herself tentatively looking back to be sure he was still there and some creature hadn’t snatched him from his steed without her noticing. What childish thoughts...and yet…

An owl swooped overhead and she jumped a little in her saddle, hands clutching the reigns tightly. Morgan didn’t seem to see the movement, or he had chosen not to call attention to it. Pull yourself together Riley, she thought. None of those things were real, it was all just pretend. A deep breath and she sat straighter, finding valid reasons for every sound she heard. The trek was still uneasy, but better, and soon she could see braziers burning through the trees. The Sheriff picked up his pace, Palmer and Morgan to follow.

They broke free of the trees, for a split second Riley felt relived. It was short lived. Standing in their way was an angry group of men, the same ones that had cut down the oak earlier, and Bishop in the middle. Morgan pulled up next to Riley.

“I thought I had made myself clear when I said that those women would not be allowed here after the sun sets. You have put us all at risk!” He bellowed, anger flaring in his eyes more so than the reflection of his torch. 

“It was an accident Bishop.” The Sheriff stated firmly. “She’ll leave now. Morgan, get her outta here.” He motioned around the group, tho his eyes remained glued to them. 

“No, I want all of you out.” Bishop growled. Another man stepped forward with a torch and startled Riley’s horse. The little mare sidestepped and ran into Morgan’s horse, catching Riley’s ankle for a moment. She gasped and leaned down to grab it. The man snatched the reigns from her hands and began to lead the horse back to the angry mob. Bishop watched, quietly, as the horse carrying Riley was brought before him. 

“Don’t touch her.” Morgan growled, trying to push his horse forward, but men with torches stopped his progress. The horse would only dance back and forth, caught between the pushing of his rider, and it’s natural fear of fire. 

Riley’s eyes were locked on Bishop’s but no word was spoken between them. He chewed his cheek, his eyes filled with hatred. But he was being careful about his words. Riley could tell it.

“You have put the souls of every person in my town in danger.” He grabbed the reigns of Riley’s horse and pulled her even closer. Riley could feel her heartbeat racing but she did her best to keep her face calm. “There was a time when the church condemned your kind. A time when God truly reigned, and evil was consumed in fire.” He said, only loud enough for her to hear. “You are a vile deceiver, witch. But God is on our side, and we will be saved. You...you will burn in the fires of hell for all eternity.”

When he spoke his last word, Riley realized he was gripping her elbow tightly, painfully. What was he doing? Riley wasn’t sure of what to say to Bishop. He was a religious man, but he was a man lost in the past. She had been raised in a church, but by people that taught love and tolerance...by people who believed in God, but knew that sin was unavoidable in man and no one had a right to judge. So she said the only thing that came to mind. “Judge not lest ye be judged...”

The look on the Bishop’s face changed from hate, to confusion, to fear, and back. He yanked the reigns again. “The devil knows scripture too witch.” 

“Let her go.” Another voice sounded. Riley looked back to see Hotch, with Rossi and Reid close behind. Bishop harshly released her arm and Morgan was there in an instant as she slid shakily from the saddle of the mare. He pulled her close and quickly led her back to Hotch. Reid intercepted them, pulling Riley away from the crowd to a safer spot behind Hotch. 

“I want your people out of my town.” Bishop bellowed.

“If you don’t let us finish our investigation, I will be here at dawn with a SWAT team and every newspaper and TV station in the area.” Hotch threatened. His voice was hard and firm, but calm. His eyes however, burned in the reflection of flame with anger. 

“You do not have that power.” Bishop scoffed, tho he knew better.

“I do. And I will.” Hotch shot back. 

The battle of wills was a silent one, the background noise filled only with the crackle of torches, and the shuffling of hooves. But it was Hotch who would win in the long run. Bishop gave in, but it was clear he wasn’t happy about it. The town leader jerked the head of his horse around and proceeded to lead his men around the Agents.

“Are you alright?” Hotch asked Riley.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She responded, rubbing her elbow and watching the mob leave.

“You should have been back before dusk. You knew better, and now we’ve worn out our welcome with the residents.” Hotch said. It was always hard to be scolded by Hotch. Riley deeply respected the lead agent and likewise hated getting in trouble with him.

“It’s my fault Agent Hotchner. I asked her to come with us. Figured she could point out any man that might have been in the torture camber earlier.” Sheriff West apologized. 

“Well, there’s no helping it now. It was only a matter of time before we crossed the line with them.” Rossi interjected, trying to take the heat off of the situation. “So, were you able to point the guy out?” He asked.

“Yeah. I got some pictures on my phone and we may know one of the men that was down there.” Riley answered, pulling her phone from her pocket. She paused when Hotch raised a hand to signal her to stop.

“It’ll have to wait for morning. Sheriff, take Palmer back to the hotel please. I want you back at dawn Palmer. See if you and JJ can make out anything from the pictures you have. We’ll meet in the morning by the gate and discuss our next move.” Hotch dismissed them, and walked back toward the houses, Rossi trailing a few steps behind.

“Meet me at the gate in five Palmer. Need to get this ol’ boy put away.” Sheriff West dismounted and led the stallion back toward the stables. Morgan grabbed the reigns of his his horse and followed.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Reid pressed once the others were gone. 

“Yeah, I’m aright.” Riley hooked her arm in Reid’s as they walked toward the town’s gate. They were alone again and Reid had another chance to set things straight. 

“Riley...I need to tell you something before you go.” He stopped walking and faced her. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I never meant for it to go this far.”

“Well, I forgive you. But I’d like to know what I did that upset you like that.”

Reid looked down and fiddled with his knuckles a little. “You’d been so distant the past week and I had these dreams that you were going away for good.” 

“Wait wait wait...”Riley stopped him. She genuinely could not believe what she was hearing. She kept a hand raised to him as she processed it. “You mean to tell me that you’ve had me stressed out, worried, and confused to distraction….because you were having dreams?” 

“I know, I’m so sorry Ry.” He reached out to touch her elbow, but withdrew. She was upset with him now. His brow furrowed with concern but he really didn’t know what to do or say to make it better. “I felt so justified at first. Being angry with you. I felt like you could have spared me those nightmares if you had just been honest about why you changed.”

“Spencer, I have been there for you this whole time. I’ve waited for you. I’ve done what I could to be the best friend I could be, even when being near you was painful.” Her voice shook. She would not let him see her cry now. “Don’t you know how I feel….” about you, she thought, keeping it to her self. “I can’t do this right now. I’ll see you in the morning.” Riley walked around him, and he let her go, hanging his head in shame. 

It was true, no matter how much it hurt. Riley had been a constant in his life every day since he had rejected her. It was unfair of him to assume she didn’t care any more just because she was busy. She had a right to be upset with him. 

Thin fingers pushed back through his hair, til his hand rested on the back of his neck. Reid had never fought with Riley before, but he had seen her in a disagreement with one of her New York friends once. Generally speaking, she was calm and level, but she turned into a mini volcano when she was angry. Just as quickly, it was gone and she was done being upset. Within the day she and her friend were right as rain. 

“How’d it go?” Morgan asked, emerging from the shadows. The snow crunched under his boots and his breath turned white in the cold air. He didn’t really have to ask how it went. Palmer had sought out the Sheriff in the barn and they had departed without another word. 

“I apologized but she wasn’t happy with my reason.” 

“And what would that be?” Morgan stood by Reid, staring out at the snow covered village. At night, with the golden glow of braziers and fireplaces, the town was something out of a story book. It seemed so warm and homey. 

“I’ve been having nightmares that terrible things were happening to her. She’d been acting so differently, I just thought she was moving on.” Reid admitted. 

“Look kid, I know I say that she won’t wait forever, but most of the time it’s just because I don’t want you missing out. Don’t you know how she feels about you?”

“I know she cares about me...” Reid started.

“Cares about you?” Morgan interrupted. “That girl loves you Reid. She put her whole damn life on hold for you. She transferred away from her family, her friends, and the job she always wanted to be in this unit, with you. She moved hundreds of miles to a place that’s totally foreign to her, just be closer to you. I know you’re still grieving over Maeve, but you need to move forward Reid. You can’t stay in the past forever and let that girl waste her life away waiting.” Morgan pointed toward the town gates. 

Reid sighed, tilting his head back to look at a perfect night sky, speckled with countless stars. Morgan was right. Reid had no right to make Riley wait. He cared for her so deeply, and yet something was still holding him back. A part of him contributed it to his guilt over loving someone after Maeve. Her life had been stolen from her and he was alive and well, loving someone else. But what was it really? That couldn’t be all of it. The simple answer was, he was afraid of being hurt again. 

“Let’s go get some rest. That little honey badger’ll be alright in the morning. You know she doesn’t stay mad long.” Morgan nudged Reid’s elbow to urge him on. 

Reid saw a shooting star blaze across the sky and in the quiet before following Morgan, Reid did something he had never done before. He made a wish.


	11. Eleven

Chapter Eleven  
Cupid Carries a Gun – Marilyn Manson/Unsteady – X Ambassadors

 

“Spencer! Spencer you have to wake up!” 

Riley’s panicked, hushed tone mixed with the sound of someone banging at the door brought Reid from his slumber. He felt her hand gripping his arm tightly, fingernails clenching uncomfortably into his flesh. Flickering light of fire flooded into the little one room house. The pounding on the door was furious, backed by screaming and a faint drumbeat. Shadows of people jolted across the walls inside. 

“What’s going on?” He asked, rising quickly and crossing the room in a few steps. People were clawing at the glass of the windows. The whites of their eyes could be seen in the flash of lightning, causing Reid to jump back, and Riley to cry out. “It’s ok Riley!” His voice broke, and he bolted the door, taking no notice of the change in his clothes until he caught a view of himself in a mirror. How did he come to be in a white peasant shirt? 

Riley’s scream brought him back, as did the sound of breaking glass. Reid raced to the bed and leapt to it. He turned about on his knees, arms out to the sides, blocking Riley. She clung to him, crying into his back, her hands gripping the loose front of his shirt, exposing the white of his chest. Could she feel his heart beating furiously against her palms? 

A window pane by the door was shattered, blood and glass spilled on the floor, and yet the perpetrator still clawed along the wall like a rabid beast, clutching for the latch. The sounds form outside came pouring in with the rain. Pounding of drums, gnashing teeth, crackling fire, and the chants of an angry mob calling to burn the witch. 

The hand tore at the lock and the door swung open, unleashing a torrent of people, like a wave through a dam, into the house. Hands were upon them in seconds, slick blood from the one who opened the door smeared down his chest, parting Riley from him. He yelled for her, she screamed his name, but he couldn’t move. They held him down, forcing his face into the mattress, arms jerked harshly behind his back to be tied by ropes that cut his skin.

The mob began to drag Riley away, but she slipped and hit the wood plank floor, made wet with rain and the blood of the arm that had opened the door. She kicked, her legs caught between hands and her own night skirt, twisted into a restrictive binder. Splinters of wood caught the lace of her corset as she was pulled toward the door. Reid struggled with his assailants, pleading them to let her go, but tho he was yelling, it seemed no words came from his mouth. Two men grabbed Riley by her ankles and pulled. The screaming woman clawed at the floor, peeling off a fingernail in her terror. Blood flowed from the wound and filled the cracks of the wood, splinters lodging in the skin of her arms and deep into the palms of her hands as she was forced into the mud outside. 

“Spencer!” He heard he cry out before he was lifted and shoved to the door. More hands caught him, dragging him away. His own survival instincts told him to run. Told him to fight and flee, but the love he felt for Riley wouldn’t allow it. Flight wasn’t an option. 

Heat from the torches and the intense fear he was feeling caused his skin to prickle with sweat. All round hands pushed him, guided him toward the forest. But where was Riley? Her screams were lost in the thundering sounds of the crowd. 

Faces passed in a blur of rotten teeth and wild eyes he was pushed through the mob. They were all so close, touching him all over his body, pushing, shoving him. There was no room to take his own steps. He was drowning in a river of hands and bodies. A hand reached from the masses and smeared hot, thick blood down his face. Reid gasped as it went up his nose and strung across his lips, spilling into his mouth with the tang of metal. Lightning flashed, thunder mixing with the pounding of the drums. People chanted to the beat, “burn the witch, burn the bitch!” they cried into the storm.

Without warning, his feet left the ground and he was pulled onto a wooden platform under a huge oak tree, the black branches shimmering in the glow of the torches, like demons reaching from the flames of hell to grasp the stars from the cloudless sky. Blood burned his eyes, and even with the rain, the thick red liquid was clotting his eyelashes together, making it difficult to keep his eyes open. 

Thick, strong hands pulled Reid to his feet and he saw he was facing the town leader, Bishop. Riley was beside him, sobbing, tied to a large post, kindling and wood at her bare feet. She was so close. He could reach out and touch her if he wasn’t bound. Her eyes were more fearful than he had ever seen. Mud caked the hair on one side of her face where she had been dragged into the streets. Her once white dress was filthy and tattered. 

“I’m so sorry Riley…” His words were a whisper on the sound of drums. 

“Shut up boy.” A voice bellowed.

Reid looked to see that Bishop was morphing. He turned rapidly into Tucker Hill. Reid’s heart caught in his throat. Riley sobbed, shaking her head in disbelief. Tucker strode over to Reid slowly, then took the man’s chin in his hand and made Reid look at him. 

“She’s gunna pay for your mistakes.” Tucker grinned and flung Reid’s face away, causing the agent to stumble back into one of his captors. The man pushed him forward again and another caught him before he fell, only to slip a noose around his neck. Tucker laughed at Reid and then approached Riley. She cowered away from him, but he forced her to look him in the eye, his free hand pulling up her skirt, ignoring her pleads for him to stop.

“Leave her alone!” Reid yelled, the rope tightened around his neck. The platform wasn’t high enough to drop him and break his neck. No, they were going to string him up and strangle him to death. They were already pulling him up on his toes. But that didn’t keep him from looking over at Riley. Tucker had her skirt pulled up to her hip, his meaty fingers tracing the scar on her thigh where she had been cut while she and Reid had been Tucker’s captives. “Stop.” Reid gasped. He was already getting dizzy, a little more and his feet would be off the platform and all of the air cut off to his body. 

“As you wish.” Tucker growled with devilish delight. He turned to the crowd, arms raised high as if he was their god descended upon high to bring the heretics to justice. A villager passed up a torch, Tucker raised it high. “Burn the witch!” He cried, tossing the torch at Riley’s feet. 

Reid screamed out into the night, the last thing he saw before a burlap sack covered his face was the kindling catching fire, and the hem of Riley’s skirt dancing over the flames. His body was wracked with sobs, but it was no use. The sounds Riley was making was unlike anything Reid had ever heard before. She was a wild animal in torment. His feet left the platform and the rope tightened around his throat. His feet kicked, trying to touch the platform in a last ditch effort to save his own life, meanwhile his nostrils were filled with the smell of burning flesh and smoke. The burlap sack was smothering him as quickly as the lack of air he was desperately gasping for. He could feel the heat from her burning body uncomfortably close. His own skin was burning, peeling, from the close flames. Her screams faded long after Reid’s feet stopped kicking.

“Reid! Wake up!”

Hands were on him again, but this time he sat bolt upright into Morgan’s arms. Terrified and dripping with sweat, he grasped his friend’s arm, gasping for breath. Morgan shushed him, trying to calm him down. 

“What’ up with you kid? You alight?” Morgan asked, his brow furrowed with concern. Reid had woken him, screaming for Riley. By the time he got to Reid, the man was on the floor, tangled in blankets. 

Reid gave himself no time to think. He scrambled for the door, snatching up the satellite phone before bursting from the small house into the snow outside. For a minute, Morgan thought his colleague had lost his mind, but he forced the thought out. Reid’s current situation with Riley was taking a toll on him far worse than he imagined it was. But why? Morgan didn’t understand. It seemed like such a small thing to him. Whatever was going on was deeper than Morgan knew. The only thing he could do was wait for Reid to come back. He sat on the edge of his bed and ran his hand over his head to calm his own nerves. 

Outside Reid fumbled to dial Riley’s number. His teeth began to chatter and he realized he had ran out in his socks. The snow was a little more than ankle deep and his sweat damped shirt clung to his skin and sent goosebumps across his flesh. “Come on...” He chattered, still shaken from his dream. His eyes closed tight as he waited for her to pick up. He needed to hear her voice.

“Spencer?” Riley answered groggily. “What’s going on? It’s like, three in the morning.” 

Reid choked on his own relief. “Riley...you’re ok...you’re ok.” He muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes. “I’m so sorry Riley, I should have protected you and I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it then but I want to do it now.” The words spilled from his mouth.

“Hello? I can’t hear you. Are you alright?” She sounded worried now, but the satellite phones weren’t picking up a good signal and he was losing her. 

“Yes, I’m fine I just….Riley, I love you.” He blurted out. 

Silence.

“Ry?” He tested, licking his dry lips. But there was no answer. Just silence and then a dial tone. He lost her. The phone beeped in his hand, the call dropped. It was everything he could do to not throw the phone into the nearest snow bank. 

“You shouldn’t be sayin’ stuff like that kid.” Morgan said. “Not if you aren’t ready to back it up.”

Reid hadn’t even noticed that the other agent had been standing in the doorway, watching him. Reid’s heartbeat was returning to normal now and his whole body was now painfully aware of how cold it was. The guilt he felt deep down was far more painful, and shame made him drop his head. 

“C’mon kid. Get in here before you catch pneumonia.” Morgan motioned for Reid to come back inside. Reid glanced up at the stars, the followed, grateful for the crackling fire’s warmth, but also set on edge at the visions it conjured of his horrific dream. “What’s up with you Reid? You don’t usually act like this.” Morgan asked, pouring Reid some ale to calm his nerves. 

Reid took the cup but didn’t drink. Instead he watched his reflection dance on the surface. “When Tucker had us locked up in that storm shelter...I did terrible things to Riley. Unforgivable things.” He swallowed hard. “I couldn’t protect her. I’m not strong like you Morgan. Maybe...maybe if it had been you in there with her, she would have been spared.”

“She needed you Reid. If it had been me in there, things could have turned out differently. We may not have made it out. It took your brains kid, muscles don’t solve every problem. But that’s not all of it. What else is eatin’ you?” Morgan asked gently, taking a seat on the bed across from Reid.

“It’s been a long time since Maeve died.” Reid started quietly. “I never thought I would find anyone else. Never thought I would love anyone like that again and now Riley...” He swallowed. “I care about her. A lot. But I have this tremendous guilt about it. Maeve’s life was taken from her, and I’m falling for someone else. Where’s the justice in that?” 

“Reid, Maeve wouldn’t want you to stop your whole life because of what happened to her. She had feelings for you, she would have wanted you to be happy. There’s no reason you should lose your life too kid. You have to let it go, or it’s going to take everything from you.” 

“I know. Until now, it’s been easy to keep Riley at arm’s length. She’s been in New York and I guess I used the distance as an excuse. But she’s here now. We’re on the same team and I’m going to be with her a lot.” Reid sighed. “I just don’t know what to do.”

“First, you need to patch things up with that girl. You need to do that as soon as she comes in that gate. But none of that ‘I love you’ business. You need to get your head straight before you go makin’ that girl any promises or she’ll go honey badger on your ass.” Morgan smiled. Reid chuckled a little, shaking his head. Morgan had a way of making things seem a little brighter. Seeing Reid relax made Morgan smile even bigger. “Second, you need to set some time aside and tell her how you’re feeling. If you care about her so much, she deserves to know where she stands with you. Trust me, women need to know they’re special, or they might start doubting themselves. Just be honest with her.”Morgan shrugged. Reid nodded in agreement, but didn’t respond otherwise. 

“Well, it’s late. We have to be up in a few hours but I wanna sleep if I can. Get out of those clothes and get some rest.” Morgan put his mug of ale on the floor and rolled over into his blankets. 

Reid sat and watched the fire, recalling the fleeting memory of his nightmare. Morgan was right. He needed to be more honest with Riley. Putting up walls and blocking her out wasn’t the answer. With a heavy sigh, he stood and went to change. Perhaps this time, he could sleep peacefully. Either way, it was worth a try.


	12. Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Reid intercepted Palmer at the gate. Immediately she saw the look in his eyes and knew that he had not slept well. Reid commonly had dark circles around his eyes, but today they were worse. His eyelids looked slightly heavier. It was a shared issue at this point, as her sleep had been disrupted by his late night call. It worried her even more when the call was dropped. Convincing JJ that she was alright and trying to sleep did her no good. She tossed and turned all night, wondering what was bothering him. Those terrified late night calls had been happening so much, it should become normal by now, but it was just making her more and more worried. An added fear was the urgency in his manner. He reached to take her arm and lead her away from the others. Hotch didn't miss the motion, stepping forward to stop Reid, but Morgan threw out his arm. The look in his eyes asked Hotch to stop. Hotch paused, watching as Reid pulled Palmer around the corner of a nearby building. Perhaps it was for the best. The sooner they made up, the better.

"You gunna let them go like that?" Sheriff West asked, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops and looking at Hotch with careful questioning eyes.

"They need to reconcile before they'll work like the team I know they can be. They won't do anything inappropriate, I can assure you of that. We should get to headquarters, there's a lot of work to be done." Hotch explained, glancing at the spot the pair disappeared before heading off in the other directions. The Sheriff waited, watching the building as well, until the rest of the group was gone, then turned on his heels to follow them.

"Spencer? Are you okay?" Riley whispered harshly, wincing at his hand around her wrist. Behind the building he turned to her and pulled her close to him. For a long time Riley had been aware of Reid's strength, but the force in which he held her crushed the breath out of her at first.

At first Riley wasn't sure what was going on. How had he gone from giving her the cold shoulder, to burying his face in her neck, holding her tightly against him? It took only a moment to accept it, she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes tight, taking in his warmth. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. Riley didn't speak back, she just held on tighter. It was almost over. They still had a lot to talk about, but his actions proved to her that he was really trying.

"Excuse me." A small voice broke the couple apart in an instant. A small girl, maybe six years old, was peeking around the corner, her face red and eyes averted as if she had seen them doing something scandalous. Riley's face flushed, realizing the girl probably did think they were being inappropriate, but the child said nothing about it. Instead she said something they weren't expecting. "I believe I can help you." Her eyes darted around behind her, obviously nervous that someone was watching. Reid knelt down and motioned her to come over. The child hesitated, her dark eyes fixed on Riley as if she was a dog that might bite.

"My name is Spencer. This is Riley." Reid said, taking Riley by the hand be pulling her down to his level. "She's not bad. Really. She's very nice and she won't hurt you okay?" He explained, keeping his voice sweet and reassuring. That was his way. Though lacking in muscle, Reid had an ability most others didn't. He could sooth just about anyone into trusting him. It worked on the child as well. The girl took one last peek over her shoulder before she joined them. "What's your name?"

"Elizabeth." The child answered, wringing her mittened hands.

"Nice to meet you Elizabeth. Can you tell me...do you know what happened here the other night?" Reid prodded gently.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, it seemed her eyes were welling up with tears and she hadn't even started telling her tale yet. "Yes." She answered shakily. "I saw the fires. I heard…." She gulped, refusing to finish the sentence. In Reid's head he heard the screams of Riley from his dream and knew Elizabeth might have heard the same. Just in the real world, not a dream. "Mother made me come away from the window. She told me that Adam climbed a tree and he told Bartholomew things he should not know. Mother said that these things would cause heresy and damn us all to hell."

"Wait, they climbed a tree?" Riley asked, recalling the tree she had visited just the day before.

"Yes. There is a game. The boys play it sometimes. It is to be kept a secret, but the adults heard them speak of it."

"What kind of game is it Elizabeth?" Reid questioned.

"The boys climb the tree. The tallest tree, far into the woods. If one makes it to the top, they must look to the outside. It is a test of bravery. We are told looking beyond the wall will change our lives. End them. To look over...only the bravest do. Sometimes they tell the others. Most are to afraid to listen." Elizabeth hung her head. She was one of those that was too afraid. The poor child was so young, and yet the fears of her people has been deeply engrained in her. "I am sorry, I need to go." Without another word, Elizabeth disappeared around the corner of the building, leaving Reid and Riley crouched in the snow.

"A tree?" Reid asked, standing. "I wonder if she was talking about the same tree the men cut down yesterday? Let me see those pictures."

Riley was already ahead of him, scrolling through to find the first picture of the tree. "That thing was huge. I don't recall seeing a tree that big in my life. It's possible the tree was tall enough that anyone who climbed it could look over."

"That's what started all of this. Those boys climbed the tree and told the other kids about what they saw. They opened their eyes to the outside world and were severely punished for it." Reid said quietly, thinking of those young boys and their innocent mistake.

"They burned children alive….Spencer we have to get proof on them. What are we going to do?"

"First we need to tell Hotch what Elizabeth told us. I bet that boy that we found in the torture chamber was one of the ones that heard what Adam was saying about the outside. If that's true, he's all we have to prove anything."

"But if he's brainwashed too, which I'm sure he is, he might not tell us anything out of fear."

"He might not. But there's one thing that he has that most of the other kids here are lacking. The knowledge that a big open world is out there and if he tells us what happened to him, he can be free of all of this." Riley didn't look convinced. Reid rubbed her arm gently. "We'll get them Riley. Trust me."

There was no arguing with that. All Riley could do was nod, take a deep breath, and follow him to headquarters. Snow crunched under their boots as they crossed the compound, a few of the men quoted prayers and crossed themselves as Riley passed. To say she hated this place would have been an understatement. Her dislike only grew every time she realized she wouldn't be allowed inside the house the team was using. An old man turned her away at the door, but Hotch intervened.

"Have you found anything out?" He asked.

"We need to talk. In private." Palmer stated, side eying the old man, It would be unwise to let the townsfolk know that they had new leads. For Elizabeth's sake if for nothing else. Hotch nodded in agreement, gathered the men, and the group headed to the church. JJ closed the door hard behind them, shoving her hands back under her arms for warmth.

"Why aren't those braziers lit?" Hotch asked. JJ and Palmer passed glances at each other, shifting their positions nervously. They hadn't told Hotch their working conditions at all but there was no choice but to explain it now. 

"They refuse to light them." Palmer said, trying to wave it off nonchalantly. Anger flashed in their section chief's eyes, he stepped toward the door. He simply couldn't believe that two of his agents had been treated so poorly. "Hotch please..." Palmer stepped up to the larger man, blocking his path.

"Why didn't you tell me about this? You two could have succumbed to hypothermia in this weather." He said.

"Calm down Agent, we still need these people to cooperate." Sheriff West said, but Hotch wasn't having any of that. He asked his team a direct question and he expected an answer.

"Because we didn't want to slow down the investigation. Complaining about wok conditions would have just put additional strain on our relationship with the locals. And now we're treading even thinner ice." JJ answered from behind him.

Hotch sighed in irritation. There was nothing to be done about it. They were right. "Alright. But anymore of this, and you tell me." He demanded of the women. They nodded agreement and he continued. "Did find anything in those pictures that might help us wrap this up?"

"Yes and no. We had a hard time with it last night, but this morning we got a lead." Palmer explained, letting Reid take the rest of the explanation.

"A little girl approached us this morning and said that she could help us. Apparently there is a game that the local boys play where they climb the tallest tree in the forest and look over the wall. She said that a boy named Adam looked over and told some other children what he saw. Bartholomew, Adam, and one other boy were caught talking about it and that is why they were charged with heresy and burned at the stake. I'm sure the boy that we found in the torture chamber must know something too or they wouldn't have kept him alive."

"He might know who else spoke to Adam." Rossie offered. "You said before that during the Inquisition, people were tortured in order to give up the names of other heretics. If the other two boys didn't talk, but this other kid did, they might have kept him to get more names out of him."

"Then we should assume he's already given up a name or they would have killed him when they killed the other two." Morgan said, crossing his arms over his chest. Even after all this time in the BAU, it was still hard for him to take people killing innocent children.

"We have to talk to the boy. But how do we get to him without people being suspicious?" JJ asked, hoping for an answer from her team. However, no one spoke. The boy would be guarded for sure, especially with the BAU still within the compound.

"You can not." A voice made the group jump and turn around. A boy, about the same age as Elizabeth, had been hiding between the pews.

"When did he come in?" Morgan asked quietly.

"I don't know. I didn't see him when I got here." JJ answered. "Hi there. I'm JJ. What's your name?" She eased toward the boy. It looked as if he wanted to take a step back, but he stood his ground. JJ saw the subtle shift and stopped advancing. "We're not going to hurt you."

"I am John." He hesitated. "He is my brother. I was the name he gave."

The team was shocked. This boy was so young. It was hard to imagine the kind of torture had to be endured to make him give up the name of his own brother. As terrible as it was, they now had a witness. They had their link, given he would talk.

"John, my team and I are here to help you. We know what happened a few days ago, but we need to know more. Who went into the woods that night to climb the tree?" JJ asked.

"Bartholomew set Adam to the game. My brother, Peter, followed them. Also the neighbors Isaak and Benjamin."

"Did all of them get caught talking about the outside?"

"No." John shook his head, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his coat. "Adam, Bartholomew, and Peter did. Peter told me what happened. What Adam saw."

"John, I know this must seem very scary for you. I know you've been told a lot of things about the outside world that might not be true. But I promise you, if you tell us everything you know, we'll make sure no one hurts you okay?"

The boy was nervous. His eyes darted around as if someone might burst in any minute and drag him away. Through his fear he still put on a brave face and tried to answer the questions JJ asked of him. He nodded a little, ready to go on. Betrayal was not something he had to think about at this point. This was all about his brother and the fear of losing him to the flames.

"Why are you here John? Didn't Peter give your name?" JJ asked.

"They said I was too little to understand. I am to stay with the nuns until my soul is clear and they know I will not become a heretic." He explained softly.

"Who is 'they'? Do you know who does these things John?"

All the boy did was shake his head. They had gotten as much out of him as they could. Riley clenched her fist. She wasn't angry with the boy, just angry that they kept running into walls.

"That's ok. Thanks for helping us. If you remember anything else, just let us know ok?" JJ said.

John nodded and ran off to the side of the church, struggling to pull open the heavy wooden door there. Once it was closed, the team remained quiet, to be sure no one else was listening in.

"I don't get it." Morgan said, shaking his head. "If those boys were killed because they climbed that tree, why was the tree cut down while we're here? I mean, that looks bad on them. Would they really risk it?"

"They may not understand how suspicious that looks. We are dealing with pretty primitive people by today's standards. They don't know about law like we do." Rossi shrugged.

"I don't know. Primitive, maybe. But not stupid. When we were in the torture chamber, one of the men said they would pretend the boy fell from that tree." Riley said. "I think part of your theory works, they don't know how many red flags that throws up for us."

"By making up the story about him falling and cutting down the tree, they feel they are being represented as a community that cares for its youth. They want to keep one step ahead of us, but they don't realize we're trained to see thru these things." Reid elaborated. "To someone who has only been exposed to life within the walls, cutting down the tree is pretty clever."

"So what do we do now?" JJ crossed her arms over her chest. She hated getting to these tricky junctions, especially when children were involved. The agent thought of her child at home, and the one she was carrying and wondered how anyone could hurt a child like that.

"They'll be on their best behavior until we leave. We were lucky those kids even came to us with what they know, we won't be so lucky again. We'll have to leave and get Garcia to get us the warrants we need, as fast as she can manage." Hotch explained.

"We can use the house phone. My old house I mean. My brother lives there now, it shouldn't be a problem to call her from there." The Sheriff offered.

"Do we have that kind of time?" Morgan asked.

"We don't have much of a choice. We can't stay here forever and we're here under their good graces. They let us in without an actual warrant, so we can't just go snooping around in their private homes without a damn good reason." Rossi said. "Lucky for us, Palmer has already seen it with her own eyes. That should give a judge good enough reason to give us access to whatever we want. They won't let us stay much longer, and we have no other ways to get evidence."

"What about the boy they found down there? Will he be okay if he's left here?" JJ asked, her brow knitted with worry.

"We can't be sure. I don't want to risk him being put in danger, but I don't know what other options we have. We can't just take him without evidence of abuse. No one saw him   
tortured, without a warrant and us getting access to those chambers, there's no reason for anyone to believe he didn't just fall out of the tree." Hotch responded. It wasn't easy for him to make this call, but he really couldn't think of what else to do. With a heavy feeling, he led his team out of the church.

Before they exited, Palmer looked back over her shoulder at the massive, plain wooden cross that hung at the far end of the church and said a silent prayer for justice.


	13. Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Riley sat quietly on the window seat of the old farm house, biting her nails as she watched the walls of the compound. All was still out there. It was hard to believe that so much had been happening right behind those walls. Teeth pulled at flesh as the agent bit at the skin around her nails. Pacing was her usual nervous tic but the swelling in her ankle prohibited that. Hotch had already warned her that if she kept struggling with it he was going to bench her for the rest of the case. So far she had hidden it well, choosing to lean on anything nearby, or sitting down when it was possible. It wasn’t too bad the night before, but Reid pulling her around this morning didn’t help. 

It seemed ages since they left the compound. Only about three hours had passed in reality, but Riley was chomping at the bit to get this over with. It didn’t help that Reid had gone into town with the Sheriff to retrieve the warrants Garica arranged for them. Even tho things were getting better with Reid, something was still wrong. Riley had a hard time believing this was all about dreams. There was something else going on and her mind just couldn’t sort it out.

“This seat taken?” 

Riley turned her head to see Rossi pointing to the spot beside her with a file folder. She scoot over a bit to allow the older agent to sit beside her. He dropped the file on the small table in front of them. Rossi didn’t open it immediately, choosing instead to lean into the side of the window, watching the snow flurry gently to the earth. 

“We’ll get them Riley.” Rossi said quietly. He was so sure of himself. So patient. He had also been at this longer than the rest of them. Riley peeked at the older agent. In many ways he was the start of all of this. The BAU had advanced leaps and bounds while he was away but he seemed to catch back up to the game very quickly, finding his place in the team hadn’t taken long. 

“I know.” She replied. “It doesn’t help the other victims tho. Two kids, burned at the stake for something as simple as looking over a wall.” She said in disbelief. “I understand that they don’t want their way of life changed, but at what point to do put your foot down and stand up for your child? And who knows how many other people have been killed that we don’t know about?”

Rossi nodded along with what she was saying, a sad, knowing grin playing on his lips. “The great thing about this job, is catching the bad guys. It’s saving a victim. Or reuniting people with their loved ones. It makes this job worth doing. But the worst of it is just as bad as the good part is good. People have to die in order for us to even know there’s a monster out there, and sadly, there are more of them then there are of us. It can feel like taking one step forward and two steps back sometimes. It can be really hard at first. Not that it ever really gets easy you just….” Rossi sighed. “You get more used to it. You have to learn to cope with it and move on, or it’ll end up hurting you more in the long run.” Rossi patted her hand kindly. 

“I know. Sorry I don’t seem to have a better handle on things.” Riley put her back to the window, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. “This is what I have always wanted to do, and I feel like now that I’m here, I don’t think I’m really pulling my weight.” She tried to laugh but it came out forced. 

“Don’t worry about it. You’re doing fine so far. It takes us all a little while to sort out our place in the team, and these issues with the kid haven’t helped much either. How’s that going by the way? Do I need to call some old contacts and change the kid’s mind?” Rossi smiled. 

This time Riley laughed for real. “No, I don’t think stringing him up by his thumbs is going to help. He’s coming around. Just very slowly. Thanks tho.”

“Well if you change your mind, all you gotta do is ask.” Rossi shrugged and flipped open the folder on the table. “In the mean time, we’ve been told to sort this out.” He pulled out some papers and a couple pens from his shirt pocket. “Reid compiled lists of death and police records as far back as he could find but he never had time to compare the lists. We can do that while we wait for them to get back with the warrant.” 

“What about those urns we found in the graveyard?” Riley asked, making herself comfortable again.

“Hotch never told any of them what you guys found in the graveyard. We had Morgan put everything back so that they wouldn’t suspect we found anything. Once we get in there again we can sweep the grounds and see if there are any more victims. Maybe no one noticed us snooping around over there or they might move all of the remains.” Rossi shrugged. As far as he knew, their team weren’t seen snooping in the graveyard and likely had no idea that the remains were discovered. It was their only hope at finding more victims. Had they moved in then, they wouldn’t have the evidence they had now. In just a few short hours, the would storm the compound and make their arrests. Only then could they start to bring justice to those so wrongly accused. 

“No worries. I took pictures on my phone for documenting purposes and I think Reid took measurements and descriptions. Between the both of us, I’m sure we have plenty to go on.” Riley hoped it would be enough, just in case they had been spotted with the urns in the first place. Just getting reviewing them where no one else could see must have been difficult. There was a chance that a passerby might have noticed it, but she tried to think optimistically. Distracting herself with these lists might help. “Ok so...if you’ll read the dates of those calls, I’ll cross them with death dates on my list.”

“Times like this I really miss Penelope.” Rossi sighed. Riley chuckled, her dark hair bouncing around her shoulders as she shook her head. 

“Well, in a centuries old society with nothing but paper documents, Garcia would be a little out of her element. This would go faster with Reid.” She grumbled, thumbing thru pages of death records.

“Yeah but we don’t have either genius. It’s just us. Let’s get to work.” 

The two had the list finished by the time Reid and the Sheriff returned. When Rossi and Palmer heard the door close they joined the rest of the team in the dining room. It was a well lit room tho it was lacking in windows. Only one wall, backing the head of the table, had an open view of the fields behind the house. Everything was stark black and white out there. Snow blanketed the ground, mirrored by the gray, cloud covered sky. Only the trees on the horizon separated the two with a jagged black line. 

The room itself made up for the cold outside. It was a dark warm red, with dark wood furniture and a fireplace on the far end of the table from the window. Riley gladly took a place near the crackling fire, relishing the warmth is offered. The rest of the team seemed to have the same idea, choosing to gather near the fireplace instead of the cold scene of the window. Funny how that worked. No matter what they had been thru, it was still in their nature to gravitate toward the light. Toward warmth. Riley looked around at them all as they took their places, thinking of how they gravitated toward each other much in the same way. They really were a family. 

“Palmer, what did you and Rossi find?” Hotch interrupted her thoughts.

“Nothing good.” Palmer sighed, standing to lean over the paper on the table. “There were more calls to the authorities than we thought. The fire department was called out quite a few times before the incident with the escaped child that happened when the Sheriff was young. Other than the incident where here for now, it’s been very quiet over there. We’re looking at about 17 reports of fires between 1970 and now. Every time they were turned away at the gate.”

“No one ever forced their way in?” JJ asked?

“No reason to. All of the reports say that the inhabitants claimed it as a controlled burn and nothing seemed suspicious. Frankly it’s a miracle that the helicopter was sent this time.” Riley sighed. It was terrible thinking how many people could have been saved had someone investigated further. But Rossi was right. You couldn’t save them all, no matter how hard you tried. Letting it go was easier said than done however, and Riley couldn’t let go just like that. These things take time. 

“I hate to say it but we might have to get a team in to scour that whole graveyard. Those two urns you guys found might not be the only ones out there. We have that list done with all of the death certificates that match when the cops were out here, but there was a long time before people around here had telephones. Who knows how many more urns we might dig up.” Rossi dropped the file on the table, crossing his hands over his stomach as he leaned back away from it all. 

“Well, we have access to everything we need now. I think we should head in after dusk. It’ll be dark, but I’m hoping it will disorient them.” Hotch glanced at his watch. “That give us about an hour to collect our gear and establish a plan with SWAT. How long should it take for them to mobilize?” The agent asked Sheriff West.

“Not sure. I called them on the way to pick up the warrants and it usually takes them a couple of hours. They’re kinda far away. I’d think they’d be here soon tho, I gave them plenty of time.” Sheriff West shrugged, leaning his weight on the back of an antique dining chair. 

The waiting game. Riley hated that. An hours wait didn’t seem that long unless you were actually waiting for something. Then it was an eternity. Gearing up wouldn’t take very long and then what? They would be sitting around here waiting for dark.

Reid approached tentatively as the rest of the team disassembled. He seemed to be having a great deal of trouble looking her in the eye. Things were coming back together slowly, but it seemed every time a true reconciliation would be reached, there was another interference. Reid took a seat beside her at the table and gestured to her ankle. 

“How’s your ankle?”

“Hurts like hell. But don’t tell Hotch. I want to be there when we storm the castle.” Riley smiled a little.

“If you’re injured, you shouldn’t go.” Reid stated.

“There’s no chance I’m missing this Reid, and if you tell Hotch, I swear….” She leaned forward in her chair to get closer to him, her whisper harsh, threat unfinished. His dejected look caused her to sigh and lean back. “I’m sorry Reid. This case really has me on edge. To be honest, I feel a little pathetic. This is what I wanted to do and I’m not handling it well. I mean, it’s kids Reid. Children.”

“Everyone has a hard time getting used to it in the beginning. We all know that evil is out there but when you do this job and you see it every day, it becomes real. It’s showcased in everything we do. It can be a shock. But you can do this Ry. If Hotch didn’t believe that, he wouldn’t have brought you in.” Reid said reassuringly. “But I still don’t want you going in with us.”

“Spencer, I’ll be fine. I’ll stay at the back if I have to. I’m not missing this.”

It took a moment before Reid would nod, resigning to her decision. There was nothing he could do to stop her unless he informed Hotch and that wasn’t a fight he was prepared for. It felt like their friendship was on the edge of a sword. Adding more imbalance to that was the last thing he wanted right now. “Alright. But stay in the back.” 

Riley agreed, patting his arm reassuringly. “It’ll be alright.” She stood, bracing herself on the table for a moment until the pain was manageable. Refusing to look back at Reid, Riley turned and left the room, feeling his eyes on her the whole way. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea for her to go with them, but it was something she simply had to do.


	14. Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

 

Storming the compound was pure chaos. As much as the BAU had hoped it would go smoothly, they were met with opposition from everyone. Men stood their ground, women locked themselves in houses, older children threw stones. The moment they crossed through the gate, a rock smacked Reid on his face, causing a gash under his eye. Blood trickled down from where his face was bruising until he wiped it off with his sleeve, gun in hand, and proceeded through the crowds.

Palmer resisted the urge to check on Reid, instead she just glanced in his direction but he only looked forward, all of his attention on the task at hand. These people didn’t have many guns, but they were likely to use them against this invading force. Everything they had ever known was being threatened in this moment, and they would do anything to preserve their way of life. 

Sticking close to Reid, Palmer made her way through the compound toward the main houses, while the SWAT team took control of the situation in the main town. Hotch gave the signal for Palmer and Reid to check the doctor’s house and the pair broke off to find the boy who they had found in the dungeons. 

The doctor tried to bar his door against them, but to no avail. Reid pushed the door open, careful not to injure the elderly physician in the process. When Palmer passed the old man, he stepped back and spat at her feet, cursing her as a witch. She swallowed hard, tired of being called that. Tired of the set of strange abuses the men of the compound had forced her and JJ to endure. They had done nothing but treat them like a plague since they arrived and Palmer was sick of it. 

Instead of pistol whipping the man like she wanted to do, she ignored him and followed Reid, almost afraid to let him out of her sights. They opened the door and saw the boy in a bed, bandaged. He had been sleeping until the agents forced their way in and now he was staring at them groggily, rubbing his eyes. 

“John?” He whispered.

“No. Peter, I’m Agent Palmer and this is Doctor Reid. We’re here to help you. Just stay still, I’ll call in the paramedics.” She assured him before reaching for her walkie. “This is Agent Palmer, we need a medic at the doctor’s house. There’s an injured child here.”

“Is John alright?” Peter asked, tears in his eyes. “He did nothing wrong. They made me give his name.” 

“It’s alright, we know you don’t mean harm on your brother.” Reid said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “But Peter, we need to know who did this to you. It’s important.”

Peter looked between the two agents, hesitant about telling them anything. 

“If you don’t tell us who did this, we can’t stop them from hurting you again, or from hurting your brother.” Palmer said, trying her best to convince the boy without being too harsh.

“Bishop.” He said quietly. “Bishop and the other leaders.”

The paramedics rushed in, pushing aside the doctor as he tried to protest them taking his patient. They immediately went to work on the boy, checking his wounds to prepare him for transport to a hospital. 

“Help John. Please, you must help him.” Peter said as Reid and Palmer rushed out to join their team. 

Palmer lagged behind a bit, limping more heavily now on her ankle but pressing forward at the sight of the others gathered in the area in front of the big houses. “Hotch, paramedics have the boy. He confirmed what we thought, it’s Bishop. We need to get to the tunnels now.” Palmer said.

Hotch motioned over the Sheriff. “We’re headed down now.”

“I’ll lead.” Sheriff West said before striding up the steps of Bishop’s house. Hotch followed him closely, gun at the ready. The whole team rushed through the door and Riley limped along last, after Reid.

“Riley, you need to go back.” Reid said as they reached the front door of Bishop’s house. He stuck out an arm to block her entry. “Please Riley. We can handle this.” He pleaded. Having her down there would only put her in further danger. 

“Spencer, I’m going with you. Move.” She said, aware after she said it and pushed past him just how firm she had been with him. An apology would be in order later but for now they had to get to the tunnels. This time it was Reid who had to catch up, as Riley’s forceful behavior caught him off guard. 

Palmer lowered herself into the tunnels, landing easily on the dirt floor. The team waited in silence, the gleam of their weapons faintly visible in the light that filtered from the hole above. Reid descended and they crept forward. 

At the section where the tunnels crossed, Hotch motioned for Rossi and JJ to take the left, Morgan and Reid to take the right. Reid glanced back at Riley moments before disappearing into the darkness. A sick feeling stuck with him as he followed Morgan. He wished he had been strong enough to make her stay behind, but she was strong. She was her own person and he knew he would have to change his way of thinking, his way of treating her, if they were ever going to work together as a team. He also knew he would have to start trusting the other members of the BAU with her life, like he trusted them with his own.

Riley paused for a split second before following Hotch and Sheriff West toward the torture chamber. Voices could be heard ahead, speaking angrily in hushed tones. Another sound, more faint, caused Riley’s blood to run cold. It was a child, crying, quietly. It had to be John. 

The trio stopped just short of the curtain, Sheriff West’s hand gripped the fabric tightly, he counted to three in nearly a whisper, then they tore open the curtains and drew their aim on Bishop and two of the other town elders. The three men leaped back in shock, one dropping some sort of metal object to the floor. 

Braziers between the two groups separated them with flames. “Let the boy go.” Hotch demanded, his steely gaze locked on Bishop. But the other man merely sneered and snatched up the boy by his collar. 

“You want a heretic? Take him.” Bishop tossed the boy to the floor and the child scrambled away to Riley, who was motioning to him. She pushed him behind her, telling him to stay still.  
“You’re all under arrest. Don’t make us do this the hard way.” Sheriff West said, circling around to the right as Hotch mirrored him to the left. Riley pushed John back behind the curtain with one hand, assuring him that everything would be alright but that he needed to stay behind the curtain and out of sight before she stepped forward. 

Bishop put up his hands and the other two elders looked at each other in confusion. Their leader was giving up too easily. Everything they knew, everything they had fought for, and their parents before them had fought for, was about to go up in flames. 

Sheriff West holstered his weapon and eased toward Bishop. The older man turned his back on the Sheriff, putting his hands behind him in willing arrest; but as he did so, Riley saw Bishop’s face. The smirk across his thin lips, the reflection of fire in his eyes, all played well into the devilish air he was giving off. Before she could even speak, Bishop reared his head back, smashing into Sheriff Wests’ face. The officer stumbled back, clutching at his nose, which was now pouring blood. 

Hotch leaped into action, catching one of the Elders across the cheek with his pistol so hard the man was unconscious before he even hit the floor. The other Elder grabbed up a strange looking knife but as he turned to meet Hotch, slashing the wickedly curved blade at the agent, he was taken down by a shot to the chest. 

Riley quickly arrested the unconscious man as Hotch went to help West with Bishop, who was attacking the Sheriff relentlessly with some large crude pliers. He grabbed Bishop from behind, the pliers landing a blinding blow on his temple as he did so. The world went hazy, his ears rung so loudly, all other sound was drown out. 

The commotion was heard all throughout the tunnels, and when the sound of gunfire reached Reid’s ears he shot off and left Morgan in the dark with only a moment’s hesitation before he too was sprinting through the pitch black tunnel, hot on Reid’s heels. Another shot fired and Reid resisted the urge to call out for Riley. He should never have left her.

When they rounded the corner they were met by Rossi and JJ from the other direction and the whole team burst into the torture chamber ready for anything. 

Hotch was on the floor, attempting to sit up, Riley stood over the body of one man who was knocked out and handcuffed, gun drawn and aimed in the direction of the Sheriff, who had fallen back onto a spiked chair, Bishop dead at his feet. Rossi and Morgan rushed to the Sheriff, but they had no idea how to help him. 

“Call the paramedics, but don’t move him.” Riley instructed as Reid approached her. “Those spikes aren’t long enough to hit any vital organs and they’ll stop the blood loss for a short time. But you need to get those medics down here ASAP.” She panted, holstering her weapon. Her hands were still shaking but she waved off Reid, who reluctantly turned tail and ran off down the tunnels to find a paramedic. 

JJ helped Hotch to a small wooden bench beside the large brazier, inspecting the wound on his head. Within a couple of minutes the paramedics were at the hole where Riley had fallen through before, chopping away at it with axes to open the hole. There as no way they could lift the injured Sheriff through the small opening in the house, this was their own hope for getting him out alive. 

Riley leaned back against the wall, the pain in her ankle worse than ever and she knew she had strained it far past it’s figurative breaking point. All she wanted was to be off of it and to see all of this over with. The cherry on top would be if the whole compound burned to the ground and the people would finally be free. Not that they would see it that way. 

Hotch clapped a hand on her shoulder as the paramedics prepared the Sheriff to be moved. Once they lifted him from the torture device blood seeped from his wounds. 

“Will he be alright?” Riley asked quietly, thinking about his poor pregnant wife waiting for him.

“I don’t know.” Hotch replied calmly. He hoped the Sheriff would be alright, but he was in the medic’s hands now. There was nothing else the BAU could do but hope for the best. “Look, everything is wrapping up here. You and JJ take the little boy to the gate and find someone to take him to his brother then go ahead and load up. We’ll be there in a minute.”

Riley took one more look at the body of the man she had killed, unsure of how to feel about it all, before turning her back and limping back down the tunnels and away from that terrible place forever.


	15. Fifteen

Riley tried to rest on the flight home, her legs stretched out across the couch and her head back against the wall. Soothing music was playing over her headset from an MP3 player Reid kept on the jet just for her. Thoughts of the case kept her preoccupied enough to distract her from the light turbulence, for now anyway. The BAU had left shortly after sunset and now they flew home in near silence, Morgan and JJ sleeping quietly while Hotch and Rossi chatted quietly over some whiskey, while Reid took one last look over the case files. He hadn’t approached her since they left the torture chamber so she assumed he was still stewing over whatever had been bothering him and therefor made the decision to let him be.

 

They had stayed long after the raid, filling out paperwork and waiting for the Sheriff to come out of surgery. The doctors hadn’t seen anything like it before but they were able to patch him up after several hours of stitching up his wounds. He was expected to make a full recovery. 

Several graves had been exhumed and urns were being dug up by the time they left, but with the sun setting and temperature dropping, the local officers had to call it quits for the day. They were certain that there was enough evidence to convict the Elders several times over. 

Meanwhile, many of the children were being prepared for foster homes. It was the children that Riley couldn’t stop thinking about. Hotch had gently assured her that they would be taken care of, but she didn’t believe him. There was no way for him to know how their lives would be but she held her tongue because she knew he was aware of that fact. As a father, he wanted to make it alright, so Riley dropped the subject with him. 

Still she couldn’t stop thinking about them. When they first arrived and started piecing the puzzle together, she wanted noting more than to free the children from the life they were being raised in, but now that everything was over she wondered if it was the right thing to do. Of course their leaders had been men unfit to lead, more concerned with keeping their people cut off from the outside world than their well being, but what kind of lives would the children lead now? Even then parents were being forced out into a world they knew nothing about. They would have to try and catch up with over a century of civilization in a matter of months to survive. They would be plunged into a world of corruption, lust, and greed, the likes they had never seen. 

Riley’s thoughts broke away from the people of the compound when her legs were lifted and Reid sat on the other end of the couch, her feet in his lap. Her eyes snapped open and she removed her headphones, muttering an apology as she started to pull her feet back to give him room, but he gently grabbed her leg and kept her in place. 

“Stay still.” He said quietly as he removed her shoe and exposed her ankle. The throbbing had subsided a bit but it was still painful and swollen from bruising. He pressed gingerly, apologizing when she grimaced. “Let me just wrap this.” He said, almost absently as he pulled bandages from a first aid kit.

Carefully he tended to her ankle and she watched him, wanting to say something, but being unsure of how to start. It seemed all the hours of conversation had all been a dream and an awkward tension set in between them. 

“I’m sorry for snapping at you back there. I was in pain and I just wanted to see it through to the end.” She began, allowing silence to follow.

“It’s alright. I’m really the one that owes you an apology.” He replied, wrapping more slowly now, as if he was using the action to stall. “I know my reasoning wasn’t all logical. I let my...” He paused, trying to think of the right word. “my insecurities, get the best of me. See, I kept having these dreams that we lost touch with each other and when I found you again you were married to a terrible person and you had a son that you named after me. In my dreams, your husband beat you and…. And he killed you and took off with the child and I couldn’t save you.” He said in a hushed tone, trying to keep his voice level. He didn’t want the others to hear their conversation. What he had to say should only be kept between them and if he was in a position to speak to her privately, he would. “You were behaving differently than normal and I thought...”

“You thought I was slipping away.” Riley finished. He nodded in silent affirmation. 

“Every night the dreams got worse and then when I found out why you’d changed, I was angry. I felt like you could have spared me if you’d just told me what was going on.”

“Spencer, I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted it to be a surprise. I don’t understand why you feel so insecure, I’m not going anywhere. I thought I’d made that clear.”

“I know, I know.” Reid sighed, his hands resting on her bandaged ankle. “Riley… I know I haven’t been very open with you about how I feel.” He scoot closer, her knees over his lap now. One more look around and he returned his gaze to her. “I care about you. A lot. A part of me feels so guilty about that. Maeve died. Right there in front of me, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Shes’s gone and I’m moving on. How’s that fair?” 

“Spencer...” Riley took his hand in hers and pulled it to her lap. “I know you loved her. I’m not asking you to forget her, I’m really not. I can’t replace her and I know that. I don’t want to. I just want you to understand that I’m not leaving. Would I have gone through all this trouble if I was leaving you behind?” She asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking. It would be so easy for her to tell him she loved him. Too easy. But it wouldn’t change anything. It had been almost two years since Maeve’s death and it hurt her to know that he still wasn’t ready. Sometimes she wondered if he ever would be, but then she remembered what she told him when they had been abducted; that no one else could decide for him the right amount of time to grieve. If she went back on that now, it might push him back behind his wall again. 

“No. I’m sorry I doubted you.” He swallowed hard, rolling her hand over in his, he traced the lines of her palm with his thumb. Touching her was so strange. Since the beginning it had felt natural and even now he felt to shame in the action, no fear of her withdrawal. 

Riley watched him as he traced the lines of her palm, his dark eyes seemed to be in a far off place. “So… what about the other night? You really scared me calling like that. Did you have a nightmare then too?”

Reid inhaled deeply before answering her. “Yeah. In that dream, I woke to the sound of drums. We were in a cabin and people were banging at the door. They broke in and dragged you away to burn you at the stake.” He shook his head. “But when we were on the platform, Bishop turned into Tucker Hill.”  
Riley could see what was going in here. “Spencer… I think you’re living too much in the past. What happened to us, it was hell. But it wasn’t your fault. You did what you had to do and because of that, we’re both alive. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.” She said, but he didn’t respond. He just keep looking at her hand, his mind somewhere far off. “Why don’t you get some rest? You look really tired.” She suggested, though she wasn’t ready for him to go yet. 

“No, I’m okay. I should sleep well when I get home. Those movers are probably done by now.” He said, his voice tainted with relief.

“Movers?” She asked.

“Yeah, I guess someone’s moving into the apartment above me and the movers have been coming in at all hours setting things up. And I think the new tenant has a dog...” He muttered. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. He wasn’t barking was he?” She asked, genuinely concerned.

“Well, no, I just…. Saw him downstairs in the lobby with some of the movers.” Reid answered, confused.

“I promise he’s a good boy, he won’t be any trouble.” Riley said with a grin, watching Reid piece the puzzle together in his head. 

“Wait…. You?”

“That’s right.” She held out her hand to shake his. “Hi, I’m Riley Palmer, your new neighbor.” 

Reid couldn’t help but smile as he took her hand and shook it, his insecurities fading. “Welcome to the building.”

**Author's Note:**

> Criminal Minds and it's characters (with the exception of Riley Palmer) do not belong to me. All rights to the characters belong to the original creators.


End file.
